United Sales & Service (USS), an author-ised distributor of Chicago Pneumatic Construction Equipment (CP), says it has successfully familiarised the Southern Africa mining market with its CLPT-H5 hydraulic light tower.

CP business development manager Jacques van der Westhuizen says the CLPT-H5, which was launched in December 2014, is the perfect solution for providing reliable light for various mining, construction, and oil and gas applications.

He adds that the hydraulic mast – used for efficient positioning – and the uniquely designed control panel, simplify operation, manoeuvrability and maintenance.

CP lighting equipment spokesperson Ignacio Picatoste notes that hydraulic vertical masts are commonly used for light towers, specifically because they are compact and easy to operate.

Hydraulic masts (or telescopic cylinders) have a series of progressively smaller tubes settled within each other, forming a single structure. The tubes are mounted on top of an actuator and extended through hydraulic pressure.

Picatoste notes that the masts can be vulnerable to wear between the telescopic (tube) sections, but that the CLPT-H5’s design features, including a spillage-free frame to prevent fluid from leaking, reduce potential problems.

The mast, which extends to 9 m and can rotate 340°, has a safety factor of five, and four outrigger stabilisers to provide additional support, which lessen the impact of the side forces and moment loads (caused by the mast’s weight and hydraulic oil) that are acting on it.

The LC 1003 control panel has a working-mode selector, emergency stop button and a weekly timer, which enable operators to schedule up to eight “lighting events”.

“The panel enables operators to sequence lighting outputs, which helps reduce the risk of lamp failure,” says Van der Westhuizen, stressing that “having an independent control panel outside the main cubicle enables the operator to start the machine safely without any contact with the engine”.

The light towers’ heavy-duty Kubota engine has a dedicated alternator for durability, and the four 1 000 W metal halide lamps require less power and can provide a total luminosity of 360 000 lumens.

Other features include an oil-draining system and wide-opening service doors for easy maintenance, and an external fuel-filling point that provides up to 55 hours of fuel autonomy.

USS and CP
In a statement released on September 15, USS GM George Wilson commented that the company had been solely distributing CP products, without any adverse customer impact, since March last year.

He explained that, “as a dedicated distrib-utor, we took the strategic decision to concen-trate our efforts and focus on growing the CP brand, as well as further improve our service levels to customers”.

Wilson noted that the CP light tower, portable compressor and generator product ranges had attracted wide acceptance from USS’s customer base.

Discussing market potential on the African continent, Wilson asserted that, while the South African economy is struggling, the market is still big. “With the competitive advantages offered by the CP products, we are able to gain a larger portion of this shrinking pie to maintain this home base in the region.”

Wilson added that Zambia’s mature and stable market had, until recently, attracted constant international mining investment, noting that “[USS] understands this market very well because of management’s experience in this area over the past 20 years. The rapid growth . . . currently . . . in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are presenting exciting new opportunities for USS and the company is positioning itself to support the investors in these regions”.