MINI-CRANES Ӏ SECTOR REPORT
“It guides the operator step by step to set the parameters of his experience; it is the quintessence of the user-friendly concept,” Franceschini says. Physically, it is a 10” interactive
touchscreen which has an IP67 Protection Rating for operation in any yard and in any weather conditions under the sun, from low to high temperatures and even in snow; the operator can use it wearing work gloves. The software is Jekko’s own.
It requires minimum training; it guides the operator through the different working phases, streamlining the processes and turning even the most difficult operation into something easy to perform. From stabilization to operation, the craneman is easily steered throughout his work. “Turn it on and it gives you an
overview of the crane. You can see if it's unbalanced; it tells you if the remote control is operating or is disconnected; you have all the data. And then you get the live flow chart. It is updated in real time, shows you the angles of your jib and boom, the metres on your jib, the capacity you have and what is the maximum capacity that you can lift in that orientation. If you overload the system it tells you and will stop the crane, but it will always let you move the load back to a safe area. The control levers on the remote are proportional, like the gas pedal on your car: if you push more it goes faster, if you push less it slows down – but it accelerates and slows smoothly, with no jerking. So everything is intuitive and self- explanatory. “This is the major element of
the SPX328: it is designed and developed for both entry-level operators and skilled users,” says Franceschini. “It is a trend in the market, and Jekko simply anticipated that trend. And this
The Hoeflon
C10, now available in electric power
basic philosophy is going to be extended to all the other cranes in our range. That is our market projection for the next five years.” And after that? “Seeing five years into the future is all we can claim to do...” There are other aspects of the
SPX328 that would normally have got mentions earlier. Its capacity is 2800kg. While some other makers of mini-cranes have gone for larger capacities and so larger cranes Jekko is keeping dimensions small: at 73cm wide it can still fit through a standard doorway. Jekko claim it as the first mini-crane in the world to be equipped with an electric jib; the normal hydraulic cylinders have been replaced by electric actuators powered by a lithium battery housed on the main boom. One advantage is reduced weight.
The crane is battery driven, but can still be operated while on mains cable charge. Jekko is based in Treviso, about 60 km north of Venice. Northern Italy has long been a powerhouse for small cranes. Galizia has been building mini pick and carry cranes at its plant near Asti in Piedmont for more than 30 years, priding itself on innovation: back in 2007 on its GF200 it introduced a front drive system with a separate independent motor powering each of the front wheels, giving extreme manoeuvrability with full radio remote control. It followed it in 2016 with the
four-wheel rear axle and two fifth-wheel system of the GF600 to improve ground pressure distribution and side stability. The GF420, one of its latest
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