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FEE Fl FO RIM
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Deep in the countryside between Bedford and Cambridge
lives a giant... Colin Barnett dropped in to investigate.
Despite its name,Allum Plant Hire really specialises in the hire of lorry mounted cranes with drivers and associated equipment.The seventh truck in the Allum fleet is an MAN model you may not have heard of, a TG A 50,483 FFIDC.The 10x4 tractor started out as a German-spec TG A 480 8x4 tipper chassis, with steel suspension, including single inverted spring rear bogie and hub-reduction drive axles. Before it left Germany it was fitted with an extra 7.500kg lift and steer axle in front of the rear bogie. benefiting from the same warranty as the rest of the vehicle.The axles are plated at 9,000kg each for the front pair and 13,400kg each for the 16,000kg-design rears.The transmission is a regular ZF 16-speeder incorporating a ZF Intarder, while the cab is the LX narrow, medium-roof sleeper with two bunks.
With the chassis conversion sorted, it made its way across the Alps to Fassi. at Bergamo, to the north-west of Milan, for the crane to be fitted. Said item is the F1500XP, the pride of the Fassi range. Some of its relevant numbers include a reach of 20m with the main boom, extending another 15.5m with the quick-fit fly jib, and if that's not enough the drum winch can be brought into play.
At full reach, the crane can still lift 1,100kg, but a more important figure is the 30 tonnes of lift available at 3.35m.The crane occupies some 13m of chassis length. When deployed, the stabilisers give an overall width of 10m.
The contents of two 260-litre oil tanks are needed to fill the crane hydraulics: they are kept at the right temperature by an independent cooling system. A comprehensive set of radio controls are used, with enough range to operate from the wrong end of the crane at full stretch.The crane won't work at all unless everything is set up correctly, while the control unit has a display showing the percentage of permitted load being used together with 90 and 100% warning lights—at 100%, the only way is back.
Neat touch The final bits and pieces, including the flatbed body and assorted storage bins and lockers, were done nearer home, by bodybuilders GB of Wisbech. One neat touch is a tray on the chassis, reached through hatches in the body floor, used to store some of the £2.500-worth of chains carried.Total cost of the TGA as pictured was a not insignificant 1260,000.
Versatility is the keyword for the Allum TGA. Much of its early work has been carried out using a drawbar trailer attached to a VBG hitch, but a new 34ft trailer, extendible to 60ft,
is on order. Its real party trick, though, is that with the fifth axle it is plated as a 50-tonne rigid, allowing it to operate at that weight under STGO Cat 2.With many of the loads shifted being containerised in one shape or another, a flatbed is attached to the fifth wheel and four twist lock points.This is 2011 long in normal configuration, but can be extended to a maximum 34ft on site.
The truck was ordered through MAN's direct sales team at Peterborough.Although the spec was decided and a deposit paid in February 2004, it didn't get to see the White Cliffs until early in May this year. In fact, it arrived just in time to star on the MAN stand at the SE!) construction show,where it attracted considerable interest, not least from CM's reporters.Taking delivery of such a machine should involve a bit more than popping down to the dealership on a Saturday morning. A crew from Allum's actually collected it direct from Fassi's premises and drove it straight back to Eaton Socon, giving the double-bunk sleeper its first use. On the near 1,000-mile journey from Bergamo, it was forced into just two gearshifts and did around 8mpg.
Time-critical operations Much of Allum's work is on airports, including Heathrow'sTerminal 5.The Allum drivers are all fully certificated and security cleared for airport work, saving valuable time when preparing for time-critical operations.There's also a growing amount of railway infrastructure work and the firm already has a keen eye on the Olympic Games project.Apparently, for the Athens games, three big Fassi cranes were in use around the clock. However, we met up at the premises of another regular customer, Power Electrics, near the Al /A14 junction.The firm specialises in the rental of electrical generators,some of which fill a 20ft container.
The outfit was demonstrated with considerable skill by Mick Herring, a 59-year-old who, according to boss John Allum,"works at a steady speed which he can maintain all day". One of Herring's recent jobs was to transport a special security cabin to 10 Downing Street. Done on a Sunday morning, this involved parking up the drag at the Cenotaph, popping the box onto the flatbed, and reversing past the hallowed front door to drop it in place...Tob done.
For a company which places a high priority on safety, and which works in some tightly regulated operating areas, paperwork can be crucial. It frequently takes longer to process method statements and on-site documentation than to do the lift.
To aid in communication, the in-cab fax machine is an essential piece of kit.
Driving a solo tractor is rarely a pleasant experience, especially one with a decent amount of power. You tend to be trying to control the wheelspin at the same time as hurtling up the gearbox at an uncomfortable rate. But when the tractor weighs the thick end of 30 tonnes it's a different matter. In fact,it drives like what it is under the skin— a regular eight-legger.You can see more wheels than usual in the mirror but the extra axle in the middle goes unnoticed.
Surprisingly supple
Manoeuvring around a stubble field towards the main road revealed a surprisingly supple chassis,easily capable of mild off-roading, although you wouldn't want to get it stuck.
In its unladen state it easily handled level ground starts in third gear low, followed by a block shift and range-change into fifth low and onwards.The overall gearing is short enough to allow plenty of reserve for tougher going, but it still cruised up the Al4 turning a reasonably economical 1,580rpm at the 50rnph speed limit.The assisted shift made fora light, short-throw change, although the box still needs the newness wearing off.
It did feel strange, though, driving a MAN without the UK standard-spec Comfort Shift with its thumb-operated clutch.
A full set of wide-angle and kerb mirrors on each side helped with driving from the 'wrong' side of the cab, certainly on our brief experience. First impressions of driving the MAN were how easy and undemanding it was, but we are in no doubt that it will require rather more skill with a trailer on the back. And as for working the crane, despite a lorry loader ticket (earned on a Hiab 027 on a Daily 56.12), we were happy to leave that to the expert. •