And They're Off

Hewden's telescopic handler makes debut appearance at the Cheltenham Festival

The first telescopic handler purchased as part of a £20million investment by Hewden, the national multi-product rental specialist, has assisted with preparations for the Cheltenham Festival 2011.

The new 17m JCB telehandler is the latest addition to Hewden’s Cheltenham depot fleet and was hired by events specialists, Harsco Infrastructure Eventlink, and operated by subcontractor Rim Scaffolding to assist with the erection of temporary seating, stands and bars at the racecourse in Prestbury Park.

Featuring a four-stage boom for uncompromised manoeuvrability, the telehandler has a lift capacity of 4 tonnes and a maximum lift height of 16.7 metres.

"We have a limited amount of time to prepare for each event, so we have to be confident that our suppliers deliver the right equipment, in perfect working order, and in a timely manner", said Tim Hall, UK Event Manager for Harsco Infrastructure Eventlink.

"The telehandler has been a big help in ensuring that the preparations for the event ran smoothly".

The Cheltenham Festival is a 4-day event featuring many of the best British and Irish trained horses. This year’s event will mark the centenary of the first National Hunt Festival in 1911.

Further information

At the beginning of 2011, Hewden announced a £20 million investment in new construction equipment as the first stage of its development plans for the year.

As part of the investment, JCB received orders worth £14 million for a range of Loadall telescopic handlers, JCB mini excavators, tracked and wheeled excavators and the new 3CX Eco backhoe loaders.

The other significant supplier to gain a major contract from Hewden was Thwaites, who won orders for more than 125 dumpers across their range.