1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 
LONG NECK MONSTERS
Page 58
Page 60
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
For truck-mounted cranes efficiency and safety
improvements must go hand in hand .11` accidents are to
be avoided. Bryan Jarvis reports.
Today's truck mounted cranes lift bigger weights, at faster speeds, than any of their predecessors. But they're lighter too, meaning operators can stack more on a truck — and that in turn means cranes need to be even bigger to unload it all quickly.
About 20 years ago, builders merchants tended to use six tonne/metre cranes on 16tonne trucks. Today they're operating 18-tonners with cranes of between 9t/m and 12t/m.And while cranes come in a huge range of models, more than 60% of the UK market covers those in the 7t/m to 14.5t/m range.
And operators are also unloading materials further away from trucks.
Safety features
User safety is all-important and while some existing cranes still have manually extending stabilisers with spring-loaded cam locks and locking clips, most now have automatic catches as well.Today, many of the biggest loader crane users specify hydraulically-operated support legs, with additional mechanical locks on all their cranes irrespective of weight and cost implications.
Other variants include a combination of hydraulic and mechanical locks and electronic alarms triggered by any attempt to move the vehicle without the equipment being stowed.
There are many advances in operating technology, not least in the use of radio remote control."We're going down this route fairly quickly," says Brian Flintham, sales manager for Atlas-Terex."Many of our cranes have nothing else. As well as improving operating FA CF FILE safety, we manage to save weight and some of Atlas-Terex: 01274 the cost by not fitting control platforms." 686827 Most of Atlas's medium-weight cranes HSE Books: 01787 between 12.5t/m and 16.5t/m, and all of its 881165 really heavy-duty machines of 35t/m and more Jewsons: 02380 already have remote controls, but Flintham 719300 believes it will come to all models above Palfinger/TH White: 65t/m. However, he adds that, like every tech01380 722381 nological advance, it has to be commercially Partec Cargotec viable or smaller, perhaps less-appreciative (Hiab): 01691 customers will just walk away. 623100 Partec Cargotees Hiab sales manager RM Page: 01256 David Earle explains: "Our service engineer 762428 can now plug a palm-top into a working Travis Perkins: crane. He'll check parameter changes against 01604 752424 standard settings, pick up any error codes and if there's an overload, he'll know which part is affected."
Hiab's latest XS models with HiDuo computer controls and radio remote switching also support CAN-Bus communications. Earle, says:"Ultimately it will link into the truck's diagnostic system and help with remote diagnostic checks on whole vehicles."
Palfinger has a number of additional features aimed at enhancing operational safety, including its latest electronic controls and an active oscillation or anti-bounce system (AOS).
This absorbs and compensates for excess vibrations caused by the operator during routine unloading.The power-link boom system provides maximum and constant lifting power, even at extreme working angles while radio remote controls include a display panel inform ing the operator of the crane's capacity status.
Models starting at 251/m have a built-in continuous slewing mechanism ,while heavier 30t/m units include a low-friction ring permitting a greater slewing moment.
Autonomous kit
For delivery yard safety,Paltinger is also marketing a quick release device from Zopf of Austria, which links a load's chain sets.slings or straps to the crane hook.
The Fix-De-Fix unit is rated at two tonnes with a safety factor of four, and remotely releases the holding chains, meaning there's no need for an employee to climb up and unhook the chains, But since the introduction of CE marking in 1995, making cranes safe has become mandatory in terms of the Machinery Directive and supported by the European Standard EN12999 for lorry mounted cranes.
And, however much safer they've become, in terms of customer practice, there have been enormous changes in specific design packages. Now, the European standards state that even a 12-metre crane must have an audible warning device, and you can see why.
A driver standing lOrn beyond his 15m boom would be 25m away from the vehicle and well out of earshot.And very large cranes with extended outreaches will place the driver even further away.
However, Hiab is able to duplicate its remote operating system, enabling it to be switched between two controllers.
This comes into its own when off-loading out of sight, on top of say a four or five-floor building. With the fly-jib and second operator well out of sight, the extra control will take over and complete the work. It's a failsafe selfscrambling system that cannot be corrupted by other adjacent signals. •