No offence ment here but do you know what you are letting your self in for ? Pulling a drag with crane type work can be exhausting I’ve see many blokes come then be desperate to go back on the artic .
Yes and no,
I’ve been in the plant movement / crane work game for 15 years driving 8 wheelers. 13 of those I’ve been covering on a CAT 2 step frame lowloader. The majority of the crane work is container, non mechanical plant or materials. All been done with the exception of week using a manually operated crane. And usually little or no help in slinging or whatever.
This afternoon I was loaded by forks with a full load of NMP in some very sketchy stillages and had to take them to the customers yard where there is never help as it’s a compound on a farm. You cannot get the vehicle in the compound so it all has to be lifted over a mesh security fence. Each stillage (stillage is a generous term) was rusty jaggy metal open sided frame full of bits and pieces that grab the chains and make it lift unevenly. After settling each one down it was a walk around to the gate to enter the compound, unhook and repeat. This stuff is the worst thing I do but yes it’s exhausting alright. Thankfully most crane work of pallets of materials or other lumps that can be lifted easier and placed more conventiently are far more common but still require a lot of clambering about.
I’m not a high mileage hero, much of my work is actually out of the cab rather than driving for hours at a stretch. The ability to move two containers at a time or a combination of plant that would otherwise need two trips if the lowloader wasn’t available is the immediate goal. We have some customers with their own vehicles who we sometimes move containers for to help them out when setting up or clearing sites, being able to double up would be definately be of interest.
I’ve not sold this suggestion as a dream ticket, I’ve said that it will not be suitable for every job and will be difficult at times. The current vehicle needs updating due to ULEZ, DVS and general old age, due to the increasing weights of the plant we move and increasing chassis weights replacing it like for like just won’t work. Rather than just accept a reduction in payload with the same size crane and therefore buy a less useful vehicle, the logical step is to increase the crane capacity to make us more attractive / capable in that area.
I found a brand new Scania G450XT the other day with a 40tm crane and beavertail body. Looked great but cost £255k, the same money would buy a Volvo FH460 with 36tm crane, plant body, trailer with change. It has been looked at as a long term investment, and if the trailer is not out every day due to lack of demand / need so be it. If they do buy it we can work out how to use it most effectively and seek work that will most suit it’s potential.
I’m not afraid of hard work, getting dirty and getting things done. I get frustrated by not having the right tools for the job or for working inefficently despite being hourly paid. If there is a better way that saves time I’m all for it. I’ve been lucky enough to be consulted for my advice and thoughts and was told that it’s a vehicle that needs to work for them and work for me. There are no TGV horns, lightbars and such involved. Just a well specced vehicle that should perform well over the coming years.
Of course I will believe it when I see it, and could still end up with an Iveco.
And as regards A frame trailers, I’d avoid them if for no other reason that every other plant / site or 99% of W&D outfits over here don’t run them. I’ll take that as a recommendation in itself.
