David Baxter

JLG Industries Inc, of Hagerstown, will release new die-cast models of its machines after selling more than 40,000 of eight models launched last December (Forkliftaction.com News #237).

The second series, to be released in October, will be the JLG 860SJ telescopic boom lift, the JLG 10MSP vertical mast stock picker, the JLG T350 TowPro and the JLG Liftlux 260-25 scissor lift.

"We are pleased model collectors and customers around the world have given us a huge thumbs up, purchasing thousands of our replica models," JLG director of marketing David Baxter said.

Baxter said JLG had produced the models as marketing tools for its network of equipment rental partners, sales distributors and as limited offerings to employees.

"The models were so well received we decided to expand our marketing focus to include collectors." The 1:32 scale models were available at specialty retailers, collectors' shows and events, and through the JLG website.

JLG learned, via its merchandising team, that there were thousands of collector model distributors that could help get the models to a larger audience.

A die-cast JLG telehandler.

"Collectors provide more volume to help grow the business. If a category becomes hot, models can become collectors' items and that will help increase awareness of the JLG brand," Baxter said.

"About 20 per cent of the models currently go through the collector distribution channel. We hope to grow that to more than 50 per cent in the next few years. The key is establishing aerial work platforms and telehandlers as a hot category," he said.

JLG's first scale models were developed in 1982 by New York-based die-cast truck manufacturer Winross. They were a series of 1:50 scale boom lifts and carry-deck cranes. In the late 1980s, they were replaced with a 1:40 scale model of the JLG 60H boom lift.

Baxter said that, after JLG acquired Gradall in 1999 and OmniQuip in 2003 (Forkliftaction.com News #115), it decided to develop a series of die-cast models of the entire product line. Before 2005, an estimated 150,000 models were produced.