Bil-Jax Launches Articulating X-Boom, New Dealer Service Network

Enlarge Image Bil-Jax's 45XA articulating four-wheel drive boom lift

August 8, 2007 • In July, Bil-Jax, Inc., Archbold, Ohio, unveiled its second machine in the X-Boom product line, the 45XA articulating four-wheel drive boom lift, to a crowd of regional contractors and rental company representatives at Great Lakes Access in Grand Rapids, Mich. Great Lakes Access is one of several field test sites for the X-Boom in the United States and Europe.

Attendees at the Great Lakes Access event from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana tested and reviewed the 45XA articulating four-wheel drive boom lift, which joins the previously unveiled 36XT telescopic boom lift in the X-Boom series. Additionally, they assessed Bil-Jax's full line of Summer Series trailer-mounted aerials, including the 3522A equipped with a patent-pending retractable axle option. “This open house offers Bil-Jax engineers, management, sales, and marketing personnel a unique opportunity to hear directly from users regarding the look, feel, and operation of the Summit Series models, as well as the X-Boom,” said Jeff Ott, Bil-Jax president and CEO.

 

The 45XA features a 45-foot platform height, a 27-foot maximum outreach, 700° non-continuous turntable rotation, and a platform capacity of 500 pounds. Operational features include dual power, hydraulic outriggers, 12.5° automatic leveling, and 48 percent gradeability. A quick-disconnect platform and optional material lifting system gives the 45XA the ability to convert into a light-duty crane, and an integrated 4,500-watt continuous duty generator provides AC power to a 40-amp batter charger and upper and lower outlets. Measuring 18'3”x5'6”x6'9” and weighing only 4,580 pounds, operators can transport the machine on a utility trailer attached to a medium-duty SUV or truck without a commercial driver's license.

 

Dealer Service Center Network

As part of its 60th anniversary initiatives, Bil-Jax announces it has created a national network of authorized dealer service centers. According to Brent Hagedorn, director of marketing, Bil-Jax currently has nine dealers signed, comprising of 30 locations in more than 11 states.

 

“These dealers not only act as points of sale and as a place for customers to ‘test drive,' but [they] also provide warranty service work on all machines delivered in their area and maintain at least two trained service technicians who have attended Bil-Jax, Inc. Summit Series service training sessions,” Hagedorn said. “These dealers also will stock parts for all machines sold in their territories.” He added that Bil-Jax is in negotiations with 15 other potential dealers in the United States and anticipate their successful launches within the year.

 

Outside the United States, Bil-Jax has signed five European dealers in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. The company also has entered the Latin American and Chinese markets with new dealers in Colombia and Beijing. Hagedorn said Bil-Jax plans to sign an Australian dealer once certifications are complete.