Aspen Aerials: Versalift Sister Company Keeps America’s Bridges Safe

Aspen Aerials: Versalift Sister Company Keeps America’s Bridges Safe

Aspen Aerials is a brand of the Time Manufacturing Company. Headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, the manufacturer builds some of the most sought-after bridge inspection equipment in the world. Acquired by Time Manufacturing Company in October of 2018, Aspen Aerials has developed bridge inspection trucks that are efficient and effective at putting bridge engineers in position to do their work, while limiting interruptions to pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the bridges themselves.

Bridge Inspection in Nevada

We had an opportunity to interview workers from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) a few weeks ago. We had an opportunity to interview workers from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) a few weeks ago, Nevada ranks #1 for public bridges in the nation.  The state has more than 2,000 bridges and the bridge inspection and maintenance engineers work to ensure public safety on an ongoing basis. They currently have three (3) Aspen Aerials Bridge Inspection and Maintenance Trucks with operate in convoy to cover territories from the North by Lake Tahoe all the way to the southern border. We ran into the team, many of which have worked in the bridge inspection business for a decade or more, inspecting the Mike O’Callahan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge that provides a bypass from Hoover Dam Traffic connecting Nevada and Arizona. With a 1060-foot-long main span, the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge opened to traffic in 2010 as the highest and longest single-span concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. With the Aspen equipment, traffic flow remained open on the bridge while the week-long inspections took place.  Aspen equipment is unique in its counter-balance technology allowing the units to stop, and deploy quickly without the need for outrigger which stretch into additional lanes of traffic.

Aspen Aerials Bridge Inspection Truck Features & Benefits Include:

  • No outrigger requirement on any size vehicle

  • Advanced Control System and Graphic User Interface

  • Adjustable Turntables with Smooth, Self Leveling Operation

  • Telescoping and Rotating Platforms

  • Industry leading Reach and Maneuverability

  • Multiple platform options

Equipment is Available in the North America at Pre-Negotiated Pricing Through Sourcewell

In both the United States and Canada, Aspen Aerials equipment is available for purchase directly through the sales and engineering teams in Minnesota. For more than 60,000 municipalities, counties, school districts and other organizations in the US, Aspen Aerials bridge inspection trucks are available through Sourcewell. Sourcewell, which for decades was called the National Joint Purchasing Alliance, is a cooperative purchasing organization that is administered by the state of Minnesota. The group benefits tens of thousands of member organizations with substantial pre-negotiated discounts on the items and services they need to run their schools, parks, green spaces, buildings, classrooms and offices.

Bridge Inspection in Europe

For several years a collaboration effort has been underway to engineer Aspen Aerials units for Europe. Here’s a short video from Versalift International on the European Aspen A-62 bridge inspection truck. Versalift International and other Time Manufacturing Company brands are currently demonstrating and selling Aspen Aerials equipment into Europe. European bridge inspection standards require equipment to bear the European CE mark. European bridge inspection groups have access to new Aspen A-62 units that are approved for use across the continent.

Decades of Innovation Leadership at Time Manufacturing Company

Time Manufacturing Company has a history of innovation among American equipment makers. As early as 1965, the company saw the need for safer and greater access for phone company technicians. They started by building the V-24, the first American telecommunications bucket truck. In the late 1980’s, Versalift engineers invented the articulated telescopic aerial lift. Since then, the company has led the industry, specifically in engineering safety innovations.  TruGuard and SlopeMax are innovative bucket truck safety systems that were created and brought to market by Time Manufacturing Company. In the case of both of these safety systems, they are so useful because they are lightweight, require no training, and serve to protect the operator in the bucket.