Even when the world shut down this year, construction equipment continued to roll. Since the beginning of the pandemic, crews and projects have been considered essential. Key machinery markets like housing are actually bucking the trend and growing in our new Covid economy. Somehow, I was able to attend two important machine tradeshows in February and March (The Rental Show and CONEXPO-CON/AGG) before all the chaos, and equipment manufacturers continued to release awesome, industry-changing products throughout 2020 despite the incredible challenges. The persistence, dedication and innovation of both equipment makers and the equipment trades (construction, rental, ag, landscape and beyond) blew me away this year. They helped build a clearer path in our radically changed world, and I’d like to honor all of them by highlighting what I consider the best compact, off-highway machines, technologies and OEM systems released for sale or concept in 2020. Congrats to all the companies included, and thanks to all the men and women behind these brands. They are essential in today’s rapidly changing world.
Smart Scissor
All mobile elevating work platforms are changing dramatically in 2020 with new ANSI A92 standards, so it’s overly impressive to see a unit like JLG’s Davinci AE1932 all-electric lift double down on innovation. This e-scissor uses a single lithium-ion battery, expected to last 120-plus months (the machine’s lifespan). This is the first unit in the industry to recover energy while the platform is being lowered, which contributes to a 70 percent decrease in power consumption. The 19-ft platform height, 32-in. wide AE1932 scissor also provides a class-leading platform capacity of 600 lbs both indoors and outdoors. It travels two times faster than a standard scissor lift, and operators can drive the AE1932 via JLG’s new Mobile Control app. For more info, visit jlg.com or watch the video below.
