Colborn Homes

The Roto, a Manitou MRT 2150, which has a lift height of 20.6m, lift capacity of almost five tonnes, and reach of 18.10m, is currently in use for 10 weeks on Colborn’s development of two bespoke single-storey luxury houses in the Cotswolds.

Employed on lifting stone, blocks, steels, attic trusses and joists, it has been able to reach 14m of the 17m span of the footing on a tight site. But that has not been its only benefit.

Colborn site manager Ryan Fowler, who has worked with UK Forks for six years, explained: “Due to the nature of our site we have very limited space and the Roto allows us to take materials from the hard standing at the front of the site and boom them almost the full length of the footing.

“Also, due to having loose clean stone for the permeable paving we would be unable to move around freely on it with a standard machine. This is why the Roto is very beneficial. It also eliminates the use of a solid base of concrete which you would require when using most cranes.”

UK Forks senior account manager Emma Basson-Wright had conducted a site survey and talked through the load charts to determine the correct machine for the project. Colborn’s operators then visited UK Forks’ West Bromwich depot to be trained on the Roto’s use.

“The roto telehandlers are big machines so maneuvering it into position was a little tricky but once in place it was very easy to use,” said Ryan. “It is performing perfectly for what we require and expect. I have phoned up Dave (UK Forks’ technical engineer) for advice on a few bits I was unsure of and he helped me straight away.”

Ryan has worked with UK Forks since 2018 when he was an assistant site manager for Ashford Homes. Colburn Homes is recognised as an independent residential developer who takes pride in their reputation for planning and producing small developments of outstanding style, design and quality throughout the south west.

Ryan said: “I have worked with UK Forks on several different sites and they always offer great service and quick responses to any potential questions or concerns we may have. I have always been impressed with them. The machines are always in good working order and when any fault may arise their response time to site has been great.”

He added: “In this particular case, we appreciate UK Forks and Emma for allowing us to use the West Brom depot for our training and use of their machine. We also appreciate how quickly we requested the machine and how fast it was delivered.”

Emma said: “Colborn Homes were unable to gain entry to site with a crane due to restricted access so the Roto was the best solution. The machine size for access and capabilities once in situ, as it was unable to move around the site, meant the jib winch was the best solution for the lift capacity they needed.”