PICK AND CARRY CRANES Ӏ SECTOR SNAPSHOT
complies with Stage V
and Tier 4 Final regulations regarding emissions.
By surpassing the updated ADR
compliance standards, the cranes have been future-proofed against further tightening of the rules, adds Franna. This covers not just engine emissions but requirements relating to headlights, visibility, noise levels, and ABS, as well as various safety standards. “The cranes feature so much technology, and much of that is based around safety,” says Pritchard. A recent innovation is Franna’s Radar system, which deploys real-time load calculations to alert operators, using ‘traffic lights’ indicators, if they are potentially approaching a dangerous situation due to articulation, the position of the load, and so forth. This comes as standard on all new cranes, while a 360-degree camera give visibility all around the crane – similar to today’s modern cars, notes Pritchard – with the addition of a camera on the hook. Such high safety standards are
particularly important at mine sites, where Franna cranes are popular, says Pritchard. “On any given day there will be multiple
38 CRANES TODAY
pick and carry cranes operating at each mine site in Australia. They’re versatile and can travel up and down gradients with the load on the hook.”
Mining operations are just one of many examples of where Franna’s cranes are used in the Australian market.
When it comes to pick and
carry cranes, Australia ‘gets it’ in a way that not many regions currently do, says Pritchard. “Other types of crane may offer
The FR17C
from Franna was introduced in Brazil this year, with launches in the Middle East and South Africa to come
a longer reach but the capacity is reduced and outriggers are required, making the crane static. To move the load it then needs placing on a separate truck. “Pick and carry cranes offer a
different, more efficient process. Because the load isn’t picked up at a distance, capacity isn’t compromised. The operator can drive the crane with the load on the hook, and because of the short rigging, the load doesn’t swing. And the cranes articulate, rather than slewing the load as on a carry deck crane, so the load is always in front of the operator and easy to see.” The articulation differentiates
the Franna crane from equivalent pick and carry cranes
manufactured in Italy – one of the global hotspots for pick and carry crane production – as those mainly use a rear wheel to turn the crane instead.
The distinction between
Franna’s cranes and carry deck cranes is something the manufacturer is aiming to exploit in the US market, where it launched a 24t model (the AT24 US) last year, at the Utility Show in Kentucky. “People at the launch thought it
was fantastic,” says Pritchard. “We weren’t just launching the crane, we were launching a process, and had to explain the efficiency the cranes offer, and that the capacity isn’t compromised by reach.” The target market in the US is
those companies currently using carry deck cranes, due to the lack of pick and carry cranes currently in operation in the region. To expand the versatility of the cranes, the 24t model will soon be followed by the 44t crane in the US market. The range of potential end uses is broad, explains Pritchard: “They’re useful for maintenance, for example in a plant room, where the cranes can pick up a compressor or generator, lift it and go, even with minimal headroom. “Another common
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