REPAIR AND REFURBISHMENT Ӏ SECTOR FOCUS


Happy Birthday john sutch! A blast from the past from Crowland John Sutch of John Sutch Crane Hire celebrated his 70th birthday last year and asked for an unusual present. The fi rst crane he ever operated, as an apprentice back in 1973 at the age of 20 and 17 years before starting his own fi rm – was a Hydrocon Highlander, a two-axle truck-mounted lattice- boom manufactured by Lambert Engineering in Scotland. The company ceased operation in the 1980s. Sutch asked Pete Issett of Crowland Cranes if he could fi nd and restore a Highlander!


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“We found one, parked up in a wood near Tonbridge in Kent,” says Issett (pic 1). “It was well overgrown; it had been there for some time


and appeared to have become part of the woodland. Records showed that it had been manufactured in 1966 and had not been road-taxed since 1985 – which presumably meant that it had been left in the woods for some 30-odd years.” Crowland took it back to its yard (pic2) and took on the job of restoration. Over a period of two years it stripped the machine back to its base (pic3), sandblasted, cleaned and rebuilt it. The cab was removed and


restored (pic4) and the correct tartan upholstery for the doors sourced (pic5). Originally in a brown livery, the crane was sprayed-painted in John Such’s company colours (pic 6); and on Fathers’ Day last year the completely restored machine (pic 7) was presented to John Sutch. Today it is in Liverpool standing proudly stands outside the company’s offi ce.


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20 CRANES TODAY


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