Hilton Haulage have added another Palfinger crane to their existing fleet. The latest and largest machine, a Palfinger 60002G, is a 60 tonne meter crane mounted on a 450 horse power, 5 axle truck.
The new knuckle boom crane has a 2 tonne capacity at its maximum 20m outreach. It will complement the company’s existing Palfinger fleet and be used as a back-up to Hilton’s PK56002 heavy duty crane, says Manager Peter McAuley.
Mr McAuley says the cranes are used in a variety of tasks in the local fishing industry and construction in and around Timaru and the South Canterbury District. He says Hilton’s cranes are used for anything from lifting water-tanks and large machinery to large electrical transmission equipment and boats.
Operating Crane Trucks has been a large part of the services supplied by Hilton Haulage since 1985. The crane capacity has increased three fold during this time. Their first Crane, in 1985, was a 20 tonne meter crane mounted on a 190 horse power truck and at the time was the largest in NZ.
“Ready built truck mounted cranes can not be purchased off the show room floor, each is unique and built to specifications as required by the user. The commissioning of Hilton’s new machine is the culmination of an 18 month project.”
Mr McAuley says a major advantage for the new crane is the addition of a fifth axle.
“The fifth axle gives more stability and the extra distance between the engine and the crane gives you more leverage, as the engine acts as a counter- weight for the crane and its load. It gives the vehicle a better load center and better payload capacity. Overall it gives you better crane stability and better geometry between the crane and the truck.
“Since 1985, we have seen the type of work we undertake progress from assisting with light engineering and domestic building to include heavy engineering, commercial and industrial building projects, the fishing industry and dairy industries, irrigation, water and sewerage systems, larger machinery, heavy vehicle recovery, electricity reticulation, etc. As the economy has grown and evolved over this time so has the requirement for larger and faster cranes that are more productive, hence the need to continually upgrade and add to our crane fleet. We now operate 6 crane trucks in Timaru and 2 in Christchurch.”
Palfinger neneral manager, Duncan Phillips, says the new PK6000 series is a powerful new addition for the Hilton’s Haulage fleet.
“The new PK 60002 Performance opens up a broad spectrum of opportunities for its crane operators. It has the capacity to lift 1,950 kg @ 20,400 mm radius and 11,780 kg @ 4,400 mm radius. “
“A crane truck also has a major advantage over conventional cranes, as it is capable of transporting it’s own load to or from the lift site. The machine can be set up and lifting within 5 minutes. The crane is operated by radio remote control which allows the operator to position himself safely and at the same time always be in view of the lift.
Purdue Bros is a long established Southland trucking firm. Servicing the port of Bluff, Invercargill city and the Southland rural markets means the company needs to provide a variety of different services to clients. As a result Purdues is always looking for innovative transport solutions.
Since the New Zealand launch of the Palfinger Palift telescopic hookloader system in 2005, several units have gone into operation up and down the country. Operators have been impressed by the system’s optimal balance between weight and lifting capacity as with its ability to handle containers of different lengths, courtesy of its telescopic arm design.