Product showcase: ARA Show hits the strip

The annual American Rental Association’s (ARA) Show took place Jan. 28 to Feb. 1. 

The event, at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, featured hundreds of booths showcasing the latest in equipment and products for the rental market industry.

A common theme at many booths was electric-powered equipment. 

Darren Ashton, with Volvo CE says, says electric-powered machines provided some unique advantages. 

“Noise is one. Emissions is a big one too because a machine like that works really well inside of buildings,” he says. “But anything in food production.”

Dairy operations, as an example, would prefer electric equipment is used because of the low noise and zero exhaust emissions, he explains. 

“We also did a trial at the Toronto Zoo. We had two of these machines, and we were able to work around the buffaloes without having to get them caged while doing some work around a pond,” he says. 

Here are some of the highlights from this year’s show. 

Toro

eDingo TX 750
Toro says the TX 750 redefines compact utility loader performance. The machine is available in both narrow-track and wide-track models. It is built for interior construction, demolition, outdoor landscaping and debris clearing.  

The narrow-track model design allows the machine to navigate tight, confined spaces, making it ideal for complex interior projects where maneuverability is crucial. 

“We want a customer to [be] able to get into really tight spaces but still get the maximum performance out of their products,” says Toro’s Kaitlyn Ignli, explaining the narrow track version of the machine can fit through a three-foot-wide door. 

The decision on the narrow frame came after feedback from contractors, she says. 

“They work in active buildings where you might be doing construction on one side, and you have workers on the other. You might be in a school. So, there are fire codes and, with those fire codes in place, they have to have doors that are actively closing,” she says. “When they’re on those job sites, they can’t navigate and take the door off, they have to keep it on.”

The machine can be ordered now and shipped by summer of 2025. 

Ultra Buggy e2500-TS
Toro calls its electric swivel Ultra Buggy e2500-TS a game-changing material hauler designed to tackle labor-intensive tasks with unmatched precision and efficiency. With 14-cubic feet carrying capacity, 2,500-pound load rating and up to eight-hour runtime, the e2500-TS can handle a wide variety of materials on indoor or outdoor jobsites.

“What we’ve done on this unit is we’ve taken the control from the Dingo and put it over into the buggy.”

The machine also has a 31.5-inch width to allow it to fit through door frames.  

Ultra Buggy e2500-THL
Toro’s electric high-lift Ultra Buggy e2500-THL can dump into a 30-yard dumpster, navigate tight spaces with precision and operate continuously for up to eight hours on a single charge.

The e2500-THL has a carrying capacity of 1,250 pounds at its full 76-inch dump height and 12.8 cubic feet volume. With a 31.5-inch width, the machine can navigate tight indoor spaces, doorways and hallways. As well, with zero engine exhaust emissions, it’s well-suited for interior job sites. Toro designed the electric buggy to work hand in hand with the Dingo.

The genesis of the machine was five years ago while Toro was watching a customer on the jobsite. 

“They were demoing a building, and they were bringing the debris out and throwing it on the ground,” Ignli explains. “They had rubber made trash bins, wheel barrels. They were just throwing it on the ground, and then they would have a skid steer come in and lift it and throw it into a dumpster. And so, for us, that was two points of contact for that material. It was one contact too many. We wanted to figure out a solution that could get that customer to get one fluid motion, getting the three out of the building it into the dumpster. This is where that high lift was born.”

Barreto 23CD Concrete Dumper

Barreto states its 23CD Concrete Dumper is built for power, precision and performance. 

“This is brand new to the Barreto equipment fleet and new to our concrete line,” says Sarah Barreto. 

Barreto’s 23CD concrete dumper has a 2,200-pound payload capacity and a stand-on platform. It has a 180-degree pivot angle and a 90-degree dump angle.  The tracked unit is 35 inches wide and is powered by a 23-horsepower engine.

The concrete dumper is expected to hit the market in mid-summer. 

JLG

JLG unveiled its E313 Telehandler at this year’s show. 

“New electric telehandler. It is 13 feet of reach, 3,500 pounds of capacity,” says JLG’s Sarah Vincent. 

With zero emissions, the machine is suited for working in urban locations and indoors. As well, due to its low noise levels, the E313 can also operate in noise sensitive environments.  

A week earlier during World of Concrete (also in Las Vegas), JLG debuted its 60-ft EC600AJ boom lift. 

“It is an electric construction machine designed to carry the same duty cycles as our normal 60-foot boom would, and it does have an option to add a diesel generator to extend the life of that battery. It’s designed to run a full eight-hour shift and then charge overnight. But you know, if you were running, say, multiple shifts, or a non-traditional shift that might be longer than eight hours, you might want that diesel add on,” Vincent explains. “The other thing that’s really interesting about that particular machine is that there’s 90 per cent parts compatibility. So, from a rental perspective, that makes serviceability a lot easier. And because of that parts commonality, you can actually convert an internal combustion to an electric, if you wanted to future proof your fleet. So maybe you don’t have the demand today for electrified machines, but that during that fleet life cycle of seven years, you may want to convert it, and that parts commonality makes it much easier.”

SkyJack

Canadian-based Skyjack brought an arsenal of equipment to this year’s ARA show. 

Scissor Lifts
The company showed off its scissor line, such as the SJ6832 RT, as well as E-Drive representatives in the SJ4740 E, SJ3219 E with XStep, and the SJ3219 micro with the micro XStep.

Skyjack’s electric slab scissor line features brushless electric motor drives, and, the company boasts, the machines have improved efficiency, controllability and torque. 

As featured on the SJ3219 micro, the micro XStep provides micro users with an additional 19 inches of working height. Like the original XStep, the micro version is mounted on the mid-rail of the scissor lift to offer further height with the same degree of security as a conventional platform. With both XStep options available, users of the standard E-Drive scissors and the micro scissors can safely utilize additional height in hard-to-reach places such as piping, ceiling work and between HVAC units.

Articulating Booms
Skyjack brought its SJ30 ARJE and SJ45AJ+ articulating booms to this year’s show. Skyjack states its SJ30 ARJE electric articulating boom offers precise positioning capabilities with industry-leading up-and-over reach. 

The SJ45 AJ+ is fitted with turf tires, which are designed for use in environments with sensitive ground conditions. According to SkyJack, the tires provide excellent traction and floatation, and offer low impact with minimal ground disturbance. The turf tires are available as a factory fit or as retrofit in the field.

Telehandlers
On the telehandler side, the SJ519 TH showcased Skyjack’s TH series. The telehandler series is designed with all major service points easily accessible, which Skyjack notes will limit downtime. The SJ519 TH telehandler is also fitted with turf tires. 

Sullair E425H electric rotary screw portable air compressor

Hitachi Global Air Power introduced the Sullair E425H electric rotary screw portable air compressor at this year’s ARA show.

The company states this air compressor is the next step to provide environment-forward compressed air solutions that meet customer needs. 

The Sullair E425H delivers 425 CFM at 150 psi of compressed air power with the same performance as a diesel-powered compressor. 

“The difference, because it’s electric, it’s a little quieter, no emissions,” explains David Andrews with Sullair. “You can bring this inside. When we think about rental, most people look at a compressor like this, and they go, ‘OK, we’ll put it alongside a construction project.’ But there’s a huge opportunity for what’s called a backup plant air. If you’ve got a factory that uses a compressor, and they need to take it down for maintenance or something, you don’t shut the factory down. You need backup so you can just rent this.

“You can rent this, literally pull it right into the factory, hook it up to your main airlines inside the factory, hook it up to power and go, because it’s completely ready to run inside, no emission.”

Highlights of the E425H include: 

• Features a patent-pending system that eliminates the need for condensate disposal, reducing environmental impact. 
• Patent-pending swing-out coolers allow for convenient cleaning and maintenance. and easy-to-service design with swing out coolers for easy cleaning. 
• A 7-inch color touch-screen controller 

Wacker Neuson

Trench Roller
Wacker Neuson unveiled its redesigned trench roller. The RTD-SC4 comes with a redesigned drum transmission that is maintenance-free for the first 1,000 hours. It also has an intuitive personal remote control unit and LED display. 

WL250 Wheel Loader
Wacker Neuson’s WL250 wheel loader has a compact profile and low overall height. It can easily pass through clearance heights under 6.5 feet. All four wheels are directly driven. This improves efficiency, acceleration and high thrust drive, along with responsive driving dynamics. 

DV125 Dual View Dumper
The dual view dumper has a payload capacity of 12.5 tons. This provides it with the ability to transport more material like a truck while maintaining the advantages of a site dumper. The machine is also compact and clocks in with an overall length of 4.6 metres. Its tight turning radius enables its use in most confined construction sites. 

Its articulated pendulum joint and hydrostatic all-wheel drive ensures it retains its tractive force while traveling across rough terrain. 

Meanwhile, the machine’s dual view rotating seat improves maneuverability and efficiency. The operator can simply rotate the seat after loading and perform material transport with a perfect view to the front and material in the rear.