JLG shows a steel hood on a model 860SJ boom lift with a SkyPower utility package.

JLG Industries Inc began installing steel hoods on some boom lifts from 1 October in response to customer input.

The steel hoods are now standard equipment in North America, replacing polymer-matrix-composite hoods of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin and reinforcement fibres.

"We listened to the feedback of our customers and worked with our development team to reduce the total cost of ownership and increase the longevity of our boom lifts," says Chris Mellott, JLG vice president of sales and market development for the Americas. "The upgrade to steel hoods adds a unique design element to our industry-leading engine-powered boom lifts and we are proud to offer these improvements to our customers."

Models 600S, 800S and 800A are the first engine-powered boom lifts to have steel hoods, which JLG says offer improved durability, long-lasting paint colour and better repair accessibility than the previous hoods. JLG's ground support aftermarket organisation can provide customers with factory-approved retrofit kits on the 800, 860, 800 and 740 series boom lifts and soon the 600 series models.

JLG, which has a major factory in McConnellsburg, operates as the access equipment segment of publicly traded Oshkosh Corp.