They say time flies when you're having fun — and they’re dead right! Our first ten years have flown by. Easter weekend 2015 wasn’t your typical getaway. I flew to Tauranga to collect the old Foden truck I’d bought off Trade Me, then drove it to Nelson to have the Hiab fitted. I had no idea how things would unfold from there — but here we are, ten years on, still looking after the transport and lifting needs of most of our original customers. We’ve seen some exceptional events over the years. The Christchurch earthquake recovery was well underway when we started, soon followed by the Kaikōura quakes, then bloody COVID, and the economic downturn of the last couple of years. I suppose all of these shape the way we work, one way or another. Having a great team is key to our future, and I have to say, we’re incredibly grateful for the guys we have now — they’re the backbone of the service we offer. Now, it’s onward and upward for the next ten years.  We are pleased to introduce Truck number 8, LIFTU2. About two years ago we ordered a new truck from Southpac trucks, the DAF dealer. It was spec'd out to be ready for a crane to be fitted. While the truck was being built in Holland, the crane, a Palfinger PK53002 g, was being built in Austria to our requirements. We have added a winch and a lot of booms to get the most out of the crane at the back of the truck. Once the truck and the crane arrived in New Zealand, we tasked Guy Norris Engineering to build the deck and fit the crane to the truck. We've made the deck seven metres long, specifically to make it better for carrying six metre portable buildings with their air conditioning units mounted at the end. Reece from Palfinger NZ put the crane through rigorous testing for the stability over and above the limits expected, including Palfingers own HSPC which will increase the crane's ability up to 100% with legs fully extended and reduced if the legs can't be extended fully. The new 53 has 25 metres of reach and can lift 600kg out there. Liftu2 was straight into action the day after we were given the keys, so I think Phils is going to be busy in his new truck.
A picture tells a thousand stories. Well I was never very good at writing stories at school so here's a selection of the photos we've taken through the year so far. Due to the nationwide lockdown , we are also putting everything on hold for a month. We will only be venturing out , under strict protocols, to assist with any essential works that may arise. We are gutted that our country has had to be forced into such a measure but we also understand that if everyone doesn't do this then the outcome will be a lot worse. From the Crane Trucks team, stay safe and take care! Reflecting on 2019 as the New Year rolls in, it's a good time to think back about the the highlights of the year that was. How our wee team grew this year, and to look forward to what the next year will have in store for us. Expanding our team have given us the ability to have more gear in more places at the same time, making many happy customers. A few times during the last year we had trucks at either end of the island on the same day. Moving into 2020, we are excited for new challenges and look forward to maintaining our incredibly high standards our customers love.
The Oversize Pilot transforms! From the first of April our little company has grown out of the business model that it was and turned in to an LLC. Which was a lot more behind the scenes sort of thing, but at the same time we took this opportunity to rename to a more appropriate name : Crane Trucks Ltd. Our very talented sign writer Andrew (at Andrew Healey Signs) came up with our new branding , which already gets a lot of positive feedback. Look out for our Trucks and Pilot utes around with the new signage.
After a quick call from one of our regular customers, we ended up with a surprise trip to "the other" Island to get them out of a bind. In keeping with our "We don't work for Wanka's" motto, this good bugger gave me as much notice as he was given by his customer which resulted in us being able to help him out. We managed to get his tower in place and on time in Wellington as requested so their work could proceed to ensure their customer was satisfied. The team at Oversize Pilot have been working on the fleet expansion program. Here's our newest truck (although it's the oldest we've got) . It's had a birthday and we're pretty happy the way it's turned out. This opens us up to carting heavier loads to site for our customers. We took her for her maiden Oversize Pilot trip today. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. No matter how carefully a project is planned, there is always scope for challenges. In this particular job, the dimensions and measurements provided were out, therefore we had to develop a rapid work around solution on-site. All worked out well, job done! |
Hiab hire · Bulk cartage · Load piloting · North Canterbury & NZ-wide
