Wilson lake pass

A Wilson Access truck mount and its operator faced a water challenge when working on Northampton Saints Rugby Club’s South Stand in the UK.

Whittle Programmed Maintenance had hired a 57m Palfinger P570 for a three week contract to clean cladding and structural supports at the South Stand.

However, access to the steel supports proved to be particularly challenging because they were above a lake. That’s when the 41m horizontal outreach of the Palfinger P570 really came into its own.

Wilson Access truck mount operator Terry Mason said, “To get the platform into position required some particularly tricky manoeuvres and at times the base of the basket was only a couple of inches above the surface of the lake. However, slowly but surely I was able to get the platform into situ so the contractors could carry out their work.”

Whittle Programmed Maintenance operations manager Andrew Simpson explained, “We have used the Wilson Access Palfinger in the past and knew from the outset that we would need a truck mount of this type to gain access across the lake.”

Wilson Access is part of the AFI group which has been working at the rugby club for the past three years, cleaning and painting the remaining Tetleys and Church stands.

The Palfinger P570 features Palfinger’s new x-jib that enables the platform to go up and over buildings so that an operator can work on a rear fascia of a building whilst the vehicle is parked at the front.