Australia sets height record with 104m Bronto lift

A working at height milestone is about to be reached in Australia with the introduction of the Bronto S104HLA - the first 104m aerial access platform in the country and the largest road-legal aerial platform in the southern hemisphere.

Due to Australian road regulations bringing the S104HLA to the market took major engineering and a custom chassis through Offroad Trucks Australia.

Road legal

The wind and telecommunications industries in Australia are growing, and with them, the need for taller aerial platforms.

Bronto’s S104HLA will be delivered to Quantum Comms in 2026

But, according to Bronto Skylift, there is a problem: high rise aerials aren’t road legal across most states in Australia. With this S104HLA, the project team, which included Bronto Skylift, GFS/Bronto Skylift AUNZ, and Offroad Trucks Australia, set out to change that.

The project team reviewed options for six, seven and eventually eight axles that would give the weight capacity required per axle. In the end a custom Tatra T158 16×16 chassis fitted with two extra-wide 445mm tyres on all axles was chosen.

This design enabled each axle to achieve a capacity of 10 tonnes. In total, there are eight axles - five permanently driven and three that can be engaged from the cabin. To further reduce ground pressure, all can be engaged at once to maximise off-road mobility including differential locks on all 8 axles and a 2-speed transfer case increasing the off-road ability. Five steering axles allow an impressive tight turning radius for a vehicle of such a unique length.

Major modifications

This unique axle configuration also required major modifications to the cab of the truck, with a large cut-out area to house the boom without compromising the cabin’s structural integrity.

Ultimately, the unique expertise of Tatra, alongside close co-operation throughout the team, made the design and construction a success, said Lee Morley, National Sales Manager, Offroad Trucks Australia. “The ability of TATRA trucks and their talented engineers to find solutions for custom chassis builds has resulted in this 16×16 custom chassis being possible. Working closely with Tatra Trucks, Bronto Skylift and GFS/Bronto Skylift AUNZ has resulted in the ideal solution for this special project.”

The S104HLA will be delivered to Quantum Comms, a specialist in rigging, civils, comms, EWP, generator and plant hire in 2026. Quantum Comms offer a serviced fleet of truck mounts available for hire. Over several years the company has continued to increase its fleet of Bronto aerials that now includes over 30 units from the manufacturer.

“We are continuing to improve and increase our fleet of Bronto aerial platforms to meet the requirements of our clients and the S104HLA is only the beginning of our long-term strategy,” said Andrew Drenovski, CEO, Quantum Comms.