Ingersoll-Rand Portable Power has launched a new light tower specially designed to meet increasing demand for this type of product.

Based on the proven technology and design of the company's successful lighting tower products in the US, the new product is a 50 hz road-towable lighting tower providing powerful 360-degree illumination from the four 1,000 W halide lamps mounted on its 9-m-high mast. An electric winch is a standard feature of the light tower, ensuring the extendable mast is easy to erect on site.

''The new light tower provides a compact, cost-effective solution for a wide range of temporary lighting requirements,'' says a spokesman for the UK-based company. ''It is ideal for night and winter lighting for construction and roadwork as well as lighting at the scenes of accidents, fires and other emergency situations. It is also suitable for temporary lighting on industrial sites, at airports, warehouses and at concerts and other leisure events.''

Powered by a three-cylinder, Kubota D1105 diesel engine running at 1,500 rpm and incorporating a Leroy Somer alternator, the light tower has a sound pressure level of 63 dBA at 7 m. This low sound level offers advantages for work at night in residential areas on road and utility projects and for lighting at leisure events, he points out.

The mast can be rotated through 360 degrees in steps of 90 degrees and locked into position at each point. The mast has a spring-loaded latching device for added security when erected and there is the additional safety feature of auto-braking on the winches.

The simple and straightforward control panel on the light tower includes standard instrument gauges, key start, lamp switches and an engine hourmeter. There is also the added protection of an optional low fuel level shutdown system.

For routine maintenance work, the lighting tower package has two locking gull wing side doors for good accessibility to the engine, alternator and stored lamp and outrigger components, the spokesman explains.

The light tower is among the latest additions to IR Portable Power's product portfolio aimed at customers in the plant hire and construction industries and complements the company's market-leading portable compressor, generator and tool ranges.