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Admittedly, at the surface, the overall fuel electric Genie Z-60/37 FE package is a revolutionary concept in design, increasing application versatility without sacrificing power or productivity. However, as you dig a little deeper into the individual machine components, you’ll notice many similarities to its Genie Z-62/40 diesel-powered counterpart and find a less-daunting-than-feared machine to maintain. You will also notice some components that reduce maintenance.

Take Control
The fuel electric Genie Z-60/37 FE boom design takes much of the guesswork out of troubleshooting boom issues. Its LCD screen displays fault codes in plain English, so the service technician can quickly diagnose an issue and have it resolved with minimal machine downtime.

The hybrid articulated boom also uses the same controls as other Genie booms. This not only offers a machine familiar to operators, so only minimal training is required, it also means a service tech who has worked on other Genie booms will be familiar with the controls and electrical system found on the Genie Z-60/37 FE. This makes servicing much easier.

Easy-to-Maintain Drive
Since the fuel electric design allows contractors to take advantage of both indoor and outside jobs, the hybrid boom features a field-proven and improved direct AC drive system. We used what we learned on the upgraded AC system now driving the electric Genie Z-40/23 and

Z-33/18 models and integrated this technology into the hybrid Genie Z-60/37 FE boom.

Sealed for protection against water and the elements, these virtually maintenance free AC drive motors have no brushes to replace or DC commutators to service. Designed to last the life of the boom, the drive also boasts a simplified mechanical braking system with no brake pads to wear or change.

The batteries powering this hybrid boom are not propriety to Genie with hard-to-source parts for maintenance. They are standard Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) maintenance free batteries, further reducing shop time. The batteries do not require the added maintenance for checking/topping off the flooded lead acid batteries found on most hybrid and electric models.

Less Complex Engine
With today’s environmental regulations, the more powerful an engine, the more complex the aftertreatment solution required to meet emissions standards. Even the 48-hp diesel engine on the Genie Z-62/40 articulated boom is electronic and requires a diesel oxidation catalyst to meet Tier 4F standards. Since it’s electronic with aftertreatment, it requires a more specialized technician with additional training for servicing.

The power unit for the hybrid Genie Z-60/37 FE unit has no aftertreatment. The simple, 24-hp diesel engine is powerful enough to operate the boom functions by itself, while offering fuel savings by operating up to 1 week on a single tank. Since it’s mechanical, a broader range of service techs will be able to work on it, so it is less costly to maintain than an electronic engine. Therefore, the hybrid technology saves on both long-term fuel costs and maintenance over its diesel counterpart.

So, when you break through the fear of the unknown associated with hybrids and dig down into the design details, there are many similarities to diesel-powered machines. Hybrids like the Genie

Z-60/37 FE boom are built with many of the same components, plus they include components that actually help to minimize maintenance and reduce time in the shop — all the more reason to shake the hybrid anxiety and add these versatile booms to your fleet.