Valla mini cranes have been praised as both a trusted workhorse and the Rolls Royce of pick and carry cranes by a customer which has just taken delivery of its latest machine.
RRS, Rapid Response Solutions has added a Valla 120ES mini crane to its fleet, partly in response to the changing nature of lifting projects it carries out, many of them for the Ministry of Defence.
The pick and carry crane was developed by Valla with guidance from Hird to give it additional features that customers like RRS really value, not least the addition of a hydraulic fly jib, giving the mini crane additional reach.
The 120ES, which has a maximum safe lifting weight of 12 tonnes, is now one of seven Valla pick and carry cranes on the RRS fleet.
RRS Managing Director Paul Barber said: “We only use Valla pick and carry cranes. In my view they are the Rolls Royce of pick and carry cranes. They are also excellent workhorse, and will do everything we ask of them.
“They’re very reliable and their very compact design means we can complete lifting projects involving often oddly-shaped loads in the most challenging of environments.
“Our clients expect us to complete lifting jobs first time every time, which is why we need the best kit out there, and when it comes to pick and carry cranes, that’s Valla.”
Based in Portsmouth, RRS has contract lift and project lift contracts with the Ministry of Defense and regularly carries out lifts for the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
Paul Barber said: “Valla pick and carry cranes are used on many of these projects. The trend is for the need to carry out heavier lifts because military equipment is increasingly designed to be modular, so larger, heavier section of machinery need to be lifted and moved.
“That’s why we now have the Valla 120ES. It will be our largest mini crane to date. It will be kept busy on a wide range of lifting projects, which could even involve it being lifted on to naval ships, where its compact design will come to the fore.
“The hydraulic fly jib is an excellent additional feature of the crane, because it allows us to reach out and over obstacles and carry out lifts where roof space is limited.
“We have been working with Hird for at least ten years now, and they always provide good service in terms of parts and maintenance support, and are always on hand when needed with expert advice about Valla products.”
The fly jib of the Valla 120ES extends its working envelope to 13.5 metres. The mini crane has a 3B6 digital load monitoring system fitted as standard. It is powered by quiet emission-free electric batteries, so is ideal for both indoor and outdoor lifting projects.
