One of the largest Hiab mounted cranes in New Zealand has been installed at manufacturing company Tidd Ross Todd (TRT).
Work got underway last November to complete the machine for Q-Transport Ltd, based in Waitara, Taranaki.
The Hiab team from Australia joined with TRT to take a closer look at the mounting of what is an unusually large piece of equipment.
The Hiab X-HIPRO 858 E-8 and jib 150X-6 was mounted to Q Transport’s new Isuzu Giga 8 x 4 truck which was specially designed for the machine.
The Hiab has a maximum reach of 31.8m with jib and an endless slewing angle. It can lift up to 22 tonnes.
It was a difficult Hiab to mount given its size but the team at TRT, known for its innovate solutions, found a way to make it happen as quickly as possible.
As nothing like the installation had been attempted on either side of the Tasman before, TRT designed the solution – an in-house deck based on the Hiab operation and equipment specifications.
TRT fabricated and fitted the deck around the fifth wheel and slider, fabricated and fitted the draw beam with a 50mm Rockinger coupling, brake and electrical wiring and a Duomatic coupling for trailer hook-up.
Looking to ensure that Q Transport could maximise its investment, TRT also manufactured a torsional box sub-frame to ensure the Hiab’s operation was optimised, adding rigidity to the rear set of legs.
The purpose-built mounting solution was completed in-house at TRT’s site in Hamilton, from hoses and fittings, to make the crane operational, to the grit-blasted steel work and electrostatic paint on the deck and frame that makes it look like one seamless unit.
Q-Transport owner and operator Fred Quilter is happy with the result.
The company works mostly in the Taranaki region and the new piece of equipment is used for a range of tasks such as portacoms and container delivery.
“It creates ease of placement for gear… it’s like having a 50-tonne crane as opposed to 20-tonne crane and there’s always something you can do with it,” Quilter says.
Q-Transport specialises in logistics and freight with capabilities in over-dimensional loads, steel and associated products, line haul and metro services.
The company also hauls items from the region to other parts of the North Island and has a depot in Auckland’s East Tamaki.
General freight such as steel, pipe, mesh, pallets, gas bottles and even chickens is all part of a day’s work.
