Tilt-Up Construction on the Rise: Here’s What You Need to be Successful

The increasing popularity of tilt-up construction, fueled by its design flexibility, durability, environmental benefits, cost-effectiveness, and speed of construction, has seen its most significant rise through the creation of new commercial buildings, retail spaces, and industrial warehouses.

Successful tilt-up construction requires a multitude of essential equipment, including large-capacity cranes, forms for panel casting the concrete on-site, reinforcement rebar, temporary bracing systems to support panel positioning and much more. But the absolute staple of tilt-up construction buildings is boom lifts.

Boom lifts allow operators to work at height, provide support to secure extra anchors when attaching the walls, and remove bracing once the walls are correctly set. Choosing the ideal boom lift for a tilt-up construction job requires evaluating the needed capacity, the type of power source desired, a review of the job site conditions (evenness of the ground, space restrictions), and movement abilities (terrain).

Whatever your boom lift needs, JLG Industries is here to meet them.

“Our boom lifts are the most requested in the industry for projects like [tilt-up construction],” notes Craig Edwards, Vice President of Strategic Accounts at JLG.

“We’re constantly trying to build our products to be better suited for the construction environment,” says Shay Evans, Business Development Manager at JLG Industries. “That’s a big part of what our team is about - truly understanding what the next evolution of our product needs to be, as guided by the voice of the customer. We take the recommendations of the customer, and then we design our products to meet [their] demand.”

Compact Crawler Booms

These lightweight, compact, non-marking rubber track-mounted booms can reach working heights up to 106 feet. They are environmentally friendly, using standard AC power, gas, or an optional emission-free lithium-ion battery for greener operation. With a tracked wheel carriage and narrow chassis, these lifts allow access through gates, yards, standard doorways, and public buildings. The Compact Crawler is ideal for uneven surfaces on both indoor and outdoor job sites.

Articulating Boom Lifts
With four models to choose from to obtain the necessary height and reach specifications to fit your job, the JLG Articulated Boom Lifts are perfect for rough, narrow outdoor jobs or congested indoor ones.

Telescopic Boom Lifts

The EC600 & H600 series, available in four models, provides the most height in an eclectic powered boom lift while offering a horizontal outreach of just over 44 feet. Customers can choose the best configuration for their needs: two-wheel or all-wheel drive, and standard or horizontal pivot jib. These machines are made for challenging indoor and outdoor spaces, with their excellent maneuverability, including minimal impact around building angles. Suppose you’re looking for a boom lift with the fewest environmental disruptions. In that case, this series has models offering zero emissions and low noise while maintaining longer duty cycles to keep productivity high from starting to completing any job.  

Importance of Training

In addition to securing the proper equipment, adequate training is essential for successful and safe tilt-up construction work.

“One of the things we offer as a company is our training platform, both online and in-person,” adds Evans. “We have trainers across the country that we can connect end users with.”

In June 2020, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) issued new safety standards requiring recertification of every mobile elevated work platform operator and clarifying that it is the owner's responsibility to document operator proficiency.

“That’s [training] an important piece of operating our very complex tool,’ adds Edwards. “You don’t need to be recertified on that crescent wrench every year, but you probably need to prove you’re proficient if you’re going to jump on a 135-foot boom lift. We have all the tools through JLG University to make sure that not only do they [customers] have access to certification, but also have ways to make sure that they document that proficiency.”

For more information on JLG product lines or training services, contact us here to be connected with the right team member: https://www.jlg.com/en/about-jlg/contact-us.