Carl Cooper, Sales and Aftersales Manager for Hird, explains the benefits of pick and carry cranes and why they’re now widely considered invaluable in many industrial settings.
DC electric pick and carry cranes have become a must have rather than a nice to have with many industrial companies and crane hire specialists. Not only are they very often the optimum lifting solution, they also reduce the carbon footprint of lifting operations.
Why battery electric cranes
Pick and carry cranes are known for their strength and robustness. They operate in challenging, busy environments, are designed to be used almost continuously to support many industrial processes. Yet they still have an operational life stretching in some cases into decades.
Companies looking to replace older cranes, many of them possibly diesel cranes, must consider what level of usage of diesel-powered machines might be in 10 to 15 years.
In all other commercial and consumer sectors, thermal power is being replaced with electric power. Costs of using diesel-powered equipment, in terms of emission controls and additional regulation, are increasing rapidly.
These trends and risks need to be carefully assessed. The answer that comes back is very often clear. The case for switching to electric lifting is undeniable.
I would argue that a good battery cell system will outlast the lifespan or a diesel engine, and that the cost of DC electric systems is more competitive even than the most advanced carbon fuel power systems.
As more research is done into battery-powered equipment, we are finding electric cranes can meet the demands of the modern world with some ease, with longer charge cycles and faster battery charging systems. New AC electrics and solid-state systems also help reduce battery power requirements.
Crane users are understanding that we have adapt, discarding old ideas. Electric power is long-lasting, eliminates workplace health risks with zero emissions, and supports a low-noise working environment.
Battery electric cranes are safer and simpler to operate, which makes them a preferred choice for a growing number of lifting professionals as well.
Why pick and carry cranes
It is worth considering why we need pick and carry cranes in the first place. A pick and carry crane supports single handling operation. One piece of equipment is used to lift, control and carry, then place a load.
It removes the need for different lifting and carrying systems to be deployed in multiple stages to complete a task.
This simplifies the process. It reduces the need for slinging and manual handling. It reduces the number of people needed to complete a lifting task to a minimum, supporting productivity.
This is safer for the lifting team, people around them, the load and surrounding structures and it represents a more sustainable lifting solution.
The mobility of the pick and carry crane allows it to get much closer to the lift. In many cases, it allows a much smaller crane to carry out a lift, reducing the need for elaborate planning and disruption within the lifting area to a minimum.
Pick and carry cranes are essential for lifting in confined spaces and manoeuvring in and around sites and other equipment.
Manitex Valla from Hird
Manitex Valla has been leader in pick and carry crane development. The company has manufactured thousands of reliable DC electric cranes over more than 60 years.
The growth in demand for DC electric cranes has allowed Manitex Valla to develop new models. For example, the Valla 220SE 22t rated capacity DC electric crane, a slewing crane with blocked and pick and carry duties, has been developed for the aviation industry but are now being considered by companies looking to retire old Iron Fairy and Speed cranes.
Manitex Valla also has a new range of V cranes including the 3.6t Valla V36R, 5.5t Valla V55R, 8t Valla V80R, 11t Valla V110R and the 20t Valla V210R, a crane being released in 2021.
This is a range of cranes available with full wireless radio remote drive and lifting control that can be supplied with or without a cab.
The cranes can also be supplied with additional functionality, such as fork attachments, stabiliser jacks and hydraulic fly jibs. These new cranes offer better jib length and upgraded rated capacities.
Hird – authorised distributor for Manitex Valla
The new range creates even more scope for Hird to work with clients to put together a specification for a bespoke or multirole Manitex Valla crane that precisely meets their needs.
We have demonstrated this with a new Valla 120E, developed and designed for the aviation sector. A customer wanted the crane to fit into a wide-bodied aircraft it was using as a mobile workshop for a major aviation company. No problem at all. Job done.
During 2020, Hird has also supplied a Valla 120E to Ainscough Industrial Services, a Valla 25E to Coppard Plant, a Valla 180E to Railability and tracked diesel cranes to several councils. They are ideal for lifting and installing memorial stones, and for lifting and moving plant.
Manitex Valla – the future
The trend towards electric lifting means investment in Valla pick and carry crane technology will continue. Supported by Manitex, the company will remain at the forefront of compact crane innovation and manufacture. Hird is delighted to support this process with crane sales in the UK and around the world.
