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Has thespider cranecome of age?c&aIn features over recent years we havemarvelled at the spider crane’s designand technical ability and then surmisedits poor popularity was down to thegeneral lack of end-user awarenessof its capabilities. However, talking to several of theleading manufacturers and rental companies it wouldappear that the spider crane is finally beginning to breakthrough into the mainstream European rental market.The breakthrough does depend onwhich country you live in, as it isof course helped by the increasedavailability of the equipment aswell as the realisation that itssmall size belies some decentlifting capacities. The spidercranecan often provide the solution to achallenging lifting problem by beingable to get close to the lift ratherthan using a much larger cranestanding some distance off. Theymay also reduce site disruptionand road closures as well as beingmore cost and time effective.However while applications suchas glass installation and curtainwalling, especially workingfrom upper floors are now welldeveloped, their use in generalconstruction sector is alsobeginning to take off.spider cranesAlways strong in glassinstallation, spider cranes arebecoming more popular in thegeneral construction sectorOn page 39 we take a look at UKbased JT Crane Services which hasa sizeable spider crane rental fleetand for the past 18 months hasoffered contract lifting as part of itsexpanding range of lifting services.Running its contract lifting divisionis Stuart Smith who has yearsof experience with mobile cranerentals, but until joining JT CraneServices, was a spider crane novice.“When I joined JT Cranes I sawpictures of a job I had priced at myprevious company,” he says. “Wehad just purchased a 350 tonne AllTerrain and because it was the onlyone in the area, we were confidentthat it was the only crane able todo the job, and being local our pricewas very competitive. Imaginemy surprise when I discoveredthat JT Cranes’ six tonne Unic 706Being narrow thespider crane can trackto its set-up areaA Reedyk C3412Compactcrane workingin a very tight spacespider had carried out the work.The company had won the contractby being able to track the spiderthrough a service tunnel and thenusing another mini crane, lifted itonto a roof to carry out the lift at afew metres radius. Our 350 tonnerwould have been positioned in theroad and had to lift over the mainbuildings. Since joining JT CranesI have a much greater appreciationfor what the spider crane can do,and always look to see if a contractcan be carried with them, which canoften result in time and cost savingsas well as reduce site congestion.A couple of years ago I would nothave looked twice at a spider crane,now I think they are brilliant.”An increasing number of end usersare coming to the same conclusion,as are some experienced cranerental companies looking to findmore cost effective ways of carryingout lifts, just as some are adoptingaluminium trailer and truck mountedcranes to carry out certain lifts morecost effectively.August/September 2014 cranes & access31
spider cranesc&aJapanese dominanceTwo Japanese manufacturers- Unic and Maeda - account forthe vast majority of spider cranesales around the world. Unic hasa wide range with capacities fromone to 10 tonnes while Maedabuilds models from one to 3.83tonnes, although it is rumoured thatthe company is developing a sixtonne model to compete with theincreasingly popular Unic URW-706.While there are several other spidercrane manufacturers in Europe andJapan none come close in size of themarket coverage to the two majors.The spider crane concept originatedin Japan and has been around formore than 30 years although theidea did not arrive in Europe untilthe late 1990s when Kranlyft, theKato dealer at the time, became themaster dealer for Maeda and beganto import them and promote theconcept. In Japan there were fourmain manufacturers at one time- Maeda, Unic, Tadano and Toaha(now R&B Engineering). Tadanoproduced and sold mini cranes upuntil 2006 and they are not exportedso now just three remain. Maedahas been dominant producer andclaims to have around 65 percentof the home market. However inEurope Unic appears to have anequal share with Maeda and bothmust account for about 90 percentof the total global sales.Over the past three years or soR&B Engineering - which tradesunder the Mighty Crane brand - hasbeen making moves to promoteits cranes outside of Japan byappointing dealers in North Americaand Europe however sales are stillvery modest. In 2011 it CE markedVariable leg positionsenable this spidercrane to set up andcomplete the liftA Hoeflon C605helping installglass in a houseextensiontwo cranes - the 2.8 tonne CR285Dand the significantly larger CR335Dwhich is rated at 2.98 tonnes. Laterthat year it appointed the Germanoperation of France Elevateur as itssole distributor in Europe. In 2012it appointed an agent for the USA- Kumu International Sales basedin Idaho - to develop full productsupport. R&B is descended from theoriginal spider crane pioneer, Toah,and is now owned by SakamotoSangyo, a major Kobelco distributorin Japan, which has significantrental operations both domesticallyand overseas.A Jekko cranewith jib erectingan indoor stageItalian company Jekko/IMAI hasalso been in the market since2006 and has rejigged its rangeintroducing several new models atBauma and Conexpo. These includeits largest crane to date - the 7.5tonne, 17.7 metre lift height SPX1275 - as well as the 1,200kgcapacity SPX 312 and its smallestSPB209 with a capacity of 900kg.Of the seven model range the fivesmallest have spider-type outriggerswith the two largest - the four tonneSPX1040 and the 7.5 tonne SPX1275 - having a cruciform-typetraditional outriggers.The Japanese products are ideal forrental applications, in that they areeasy to use even by inexperiencedoperators. They also include mostfeatures seen on larger mobilecranes, such as a full safe loadindicators, remote controls andslew limiters. They are powered bya variety of fuels including petrol,diesel, LPG and AC electric. Somerental companies told us thatthey could be improved by usingsome of the thinking going into AllTerrain development such as easyremovable counterweights and32 cranes & access August/September 2014Two Maeda MC-305sinstalling a large panel
spider cranesother ways to reduce machineweight allowing easier accessover sensitive floors or in smallerelevators.Double DutchThe two Dutch manufacturers- Hoeflon and Reedyk - alongwith Italian company Kegiommanufacture mini cranes withvariable, in and out and sideto-side outrigger positioningwhich allows the outriggers to beextended asymmetrically for thebest fit. These cranes are morespecialist machines and are findinga niche particularly where spidercranes cannot set-up. Jekko fallssomewhere between the twoconcepts depending on the model.Given the growing interest andacceptance of the spider/minicrane it is not surprising that allmanufacturers are pushing toexpand, particularly in Europe, theMiddle East, North America andAustralia. Both Hoeflon and Reedykhave recently appointed UK dealers- JT Crane Services and PromaxAccess respectively. Promax saysit has seen a lot of interest in the4.25 tonne capacity Reedyk C3412- launched at Vertikal Days - whichc&acan handle 135kg at a 19.5 metreradius.Promax’s Shaun Day says thatthe Reedyk’s infinitely variableoutrigger positioning technology isa winner. “The outrigger positionsare completely variable and notpre-determined by the manufacturerwith a limited selection, so themachine can be driven into anylocation and the outriggers extendedto where they best fit. The machinethen automatically restricts the loadchart to suit the specific set up,”he said. “This allows the crane tobe set up in the more inaccessibleplaces, while providing themaximum working envelope overeach individual stabiliser position.The C3412 is also compact, beingonly 2.9 metres long and 966mmwide and thanks to the articulatedboom configuration it can extendvertically within its own footprint. Itcan also pick and carry a full tonne,has hybrid power and a maximumreach of 22.5 metres.”“The Japanese cranes do a greatjob where they can be set up,”said Day, “but there is room for thespecialist compact crane for the jobwhen nothing else can do it.”34 cranes & access August/September 2014A Maeda withvacuum lifterinstalling glasspanelsNECrefurbThe spider crane’s abilityto get close means it isan invaluable lifting tool
Still eagerto growc&aspider cranesUK-based GGR has consistently been one of the UKrental industry’s top performers winning awards forboth the company performance and for one of itsfounders, managing director Gill Riley. Mark Darwinvisited its Buckinghamshire offices to find out more In these days of hi-tech websites,online promotion and socialmedia, GGR Lifting Solutions which uses them all - still hasa printed catalogue and it ishuge. More than 300 pages arecrammed full of all types of liftingequipment, including vacuumlifters, robots and overhangbeams and all manner of liftingsolutions, some powered accessequipment, hand cups, trolleysand A-frames, trailer cranes, pickand carry cranes, spider cranesalong with a range of servicessuch as training.In less than 20 years the brotherand sister combination of Graemeand Gill Riley has formed and grownthe company that now boastsrevenues approaching 20 millionand has expanded to the pointwhere it needs to move its southernheadquarters to larger premises,again.The land for its growth has beenfound locally (a 5.6 acre site notfar from the current facility - it alsohas operations in Manchester andGlasgow) and it is in the final stagesGill Rileyof negotiations to purchase the landand start building. If all progressessmoothly it could be all up andrunning by next summer. This is avery short time-scale but reflectsthe speed and determination of theRileys who are constantly drivingthe company forward. During mytour of the Long Crendon facility itwas clear to see what a slick, wellrun and organised company it is,with all staff - from junior to senior both knowledgeable and keen.Humble beginningsAll this is a long way from itsA Unic URW-506 andHydraulica 1000 lifterworking on a rooftophumble beginnings in 1995 whenthe pair started the rental businessin Rochdale, Greater Manchesterwith a fleet of just four glass liftingmachines.“My father had a UK agency tomaintain glass cutting tables andspecialist glass washers,” saidRiley. “Both Graeme and I wouldattend exhibitions with him and thisis how we became more familiarwith the industry. Over time we bothnoticed that the methods used to liftand install architectural glass werechanging, so we pooled 5,000between us and decided to try torent and sell vacuum lifters. Wewent to the USA to find productsand were able to put a smallvacuum lifter fleet together asA URW-376 at theChelsea FlowerShowA spider crane ona to help with lockgate replacementAugust/September 2014 cranes & access35
spider cranesc&awell as offering training as demandfor the product and on-site safetyincreased.”The next stage was the addition ofrobots to install glass panels, thefirst was the Robotic ArticulatedLifting Frame (RALF) in 1998followed a year later by EMU(Ergonomic Manipulating Unit)- an innovative machine witha multi-rotational head able toglaze a building from the insideout when cranes or scaffolding isimpractical. Riley found a companyto manufacture the EMUs to itsown designs and the range nowconsists of several different typeswith capacities from 300kg to1,000kg. However it was the spidercrane that probably had the greatestimpact on the company.Spotting the spiders“It was at SED in 2001 that wefirst saw a spider crane (a Maeda)and immediately we could seeits potential, initially in the glassinstallation sector,” she said. “Overa period of time we purchased 10as they were the only spider cranesavailable in the UK at that time.Always looking for cheaper andbetter alternatives we started to talkto Furukawa Unic in Japan. Unicdid not want to supply the Europeanmarket because of the effort toachieve CE compliance, but we saidthat we would sort that out andsigned up as the UK distributor. Withsales increasing this was expandedto being master dealer for the wholeof Europe and the company grewfrom there. It is quite surreal whenyou think of how it started andwhere we are today.”Today GGR supplies new and rentalspider cranes through a networkof dealers in 27 countries acrossEurope. It sold its first crane in 2003and three years later celebrated its200th unit sold. Today it has morethan 150 Unic cranes in its rentalfleet and last year sold its 1,000thunit. All new spider cranes areCPCS A66training on apick and carrycranestill brought into its Long Crendonfacility where they undergo CEcompliance checks - including theinstallation of a safe load indicator before being shipped to customersvia its dealer network.GGR has also worked closelywith the UK’s Construction PlantCompetency Schemes body (CPCS)and the CPA to develop the firstindustry-recognised qualificationfor mini crane operation - the A66training course - GGR’s CPCSqualified trainers provide trainingand testing at its training centres inThame and Manchester.Cranes in stockThe combination of the tsunamidisaster of 2004, the economicdownturn and the Tohokuearthquake has meant that manyJapanese companies have struggledwith production which added tothe current upturn in demand iscausing delivery times to becomeexcessive. GGR aims to keep alarge ‘buffer’ stock of Unic craneson hand to overcome this. “Wegenerally have a good stock ofmachines, this means that we canprovide fast delivery, however thereis a currently a shortage of thelarger Unic cranes which have upto six months lead time due to theirpopularity,” said Riley.Further expansionNot content to ‘rest on its laurels’GGR has added yet more productlines to broaden its range addingPaus aluminium trailer cranes andGeko glass handling robots in 2006.In 2007 it made it into the SundayTimes top 100 fastest growingcompanies which measures annualpercentage growth over three yearswith a 59 percent increase as salesclimbed from 1.9 million in 2003/4to 7.9 million in 2006/7. A yearlater it made it onto the Top 100list again, having posted an annualgrowth of almost 54 percent withrevenues of 12.8 million. In 2008it was appointed as the Galiziapick & carry crane distributor forthe UK. “Galizia is a young freshcompany with great ideas and thisfits in perfectly with our businessphilosophy,” said Riley.Working onKings Crossplatform, LondonThis year expects to achieverevenues of almost 20 million - amixture of sales and rental. GGRnow trades under seven brandnames - Unic Cranes Europe, GGRGlass, GGR Galizia, GGR AirLift, GGRCladding, GGR Rail and GGR Gulf.New crawler crane?GGR is in advanced discussionsabout designing and producing asmall tracked pick & carry cranewith an eastern manufacturer in thenear future. “We are getting moreand more involved in the industrialmarket and currently have 25pick and carry cranes in our fleet.Following customer demand weare looking seriously at the trackedpick and carry crane sector with aview to developing a new range. Wehave a few eight tonne Giraf Track805 machines which have been outpermanently on hire jobs and weplan to purchase more,” she said.Looking forward“I think in general the industry hasanother two to five good years andlong may it continue. We are goingA Galizia F200E pick andcarry crane inside a factoryinto so many different markets atthe moment - Cross Rail is massivefor us - and the range of equipmentmeans that we work across manysectors. Powered access is anarea of potential growth but at themoment we only supply existingcustomers and generally cross-hirethe equipment. However we arelooking to invest ourselves and mayadd some platforms to the fleet inthe near future.”An older RALF(Robotic ArticulatedLifting Frame) robotOne of the GGRtransport trucks36 cranes & access August/September 2014An MCC805 minicrawler crane ata substation
spider cranesc&a Spider crane manufacturersIn spite of the increase in awareness and sales of the spider cranes, there are still only a handful of manufacturers producing dedicated spidercranes, although this is gradually increasing as their popularity grows. The following chart highlights some of the model available.ManufacturerProduction baseModelsCapacityMax hook heightCrane weightMax working KB19-4GKB22-4C05C4 without HSPX1040CDHSPX1275CDH200 E3 Spider350 E4 Spider4000 E3 SpiderMC104CERMC 174CRMMC 285C-2MC 305-2MC 405CR 174GCR 23GLCR285DCR335DC3410C3412Type 260Type 380Type 6C0.995t @ 4.2m0.995t @ 4.2m620kg @ 1.0m1,950kg @2.0m2,950kg @ 2.0m3,750kg @ 2.7m900kg @ 2.0m1,200kg @ 2.0m1,800kg @ 1.5m2,400kg @ 1.0m2,700kg @ 1.0m4,000kg @ 2.0m7,500kg @ 1.0m1,600kg @1.26m2,050kg @1.9m1,830kg @ 2.0m0.995t @ 1.1m1.72t @1.0m2.82t @1.4m2.98t @2.5m3.83t @2.7m1.7t @ 1.2m2.3t @ 1.0m2.8t @ 1.5m2.98t @2.5m3.84t @ 2.0m4.25t @ 2.0m1.82t @ 1.4m2.3 t @ 1.5m2.9t @ 1.7m0.995t @ 1.5m2.93t @1.4m3.03t @2.5m4.05t @2.5m6.05t @3.0m10.14t @ m14.9m16.0m19.5m22.8m2,700kg2,900kg620kg no ballast 980kg with1,740kg2,100kg - 2,640kg with cwt3,450kg - 4,900 w/cwt & 75m5.17m8.41m14.9m15.52m18.6m21.93mC3412 – The newgeneration“Compact Crane”With unique infiniteoutrigger positioningtechnology, the versatile C3412can be set up and operated in the mostdemanding of confined spaces.Hybrid technology allows itto operate internallyor externally around productionlines or construction sites.Stowed:Only 2m high,1m wide and2.9m longReach:21mThis compact crane has a maximum lifting capacity ofmore than 4 TON!!!Reedyk compact cranes dealer for the UK and Irelandwww.promaxaccess.com sales@promaxaccess.com38 cranes & access August/September 2014
Working onnew ideasc&aspider cranesOver the past few years, Bedfordshire-based J TCranes Services has steadily expanded its rangeof services and is now looking to grow further. Thefamily company - formed in 1981 by John Taylor - isnow run by son and daughter Russ and Julie, whohave steered the company from roadside repairand servicing into a business that encompassesaccident recovery with major repairs/rebuilds, routineservicing, testing, test weight and spider crane rentaland most recently, contract lifting.This year it was a first timeexhibitor at Vertikal Days where ithighlighted its UK distributorshipfor Hoeflon mini cranes and trackedcarriers, as well as promoting itscontract lifting division, launchedjust over a year ago.JT Cranes is also adding more spidercranes to its rental fleet, following aninitial investment in 12 Unic spidercranes in 2007. Now it is lookingto replace a few of the older units,while expanding the fleet to 14 spidercranes, with the addition of three 2.9tonne Unic URW-295s. JT Cranesalso has two small Kato city typemobile cranes with 7.5 and 10 tonnecapacity.Unic or Maeda?“We looked long and hard at ‘easyto use’ rental equipment in thethree tonne capacity sector - forus that essentially meant the Unic295 or the Maeda 285,” said JulieMarshall. “While we really like theJ T Cranes has to smallKato city-type cranes- a 7.5 tonne and a10 tonne capacity - inits fleetlarger capacity Maeda machines,the 285 is slightly wider at 750mmcompared to the Unic’s 600mm.The Unic also has a small advantagein capacity and lift height. Whenwe look to replace and expand thelarger capacity spider cranes, wewill look at the Maeda product butbecause of the size advantage andthe fact that we are geared up withtransport trailers etc we will stickwith Unic for the smaller units.”New pick & carry solution“We don’t have any pick & carrycranes in our fleet at the moment,but the spider crane combined withthe Hoeflon tracked carriers is theperfect modern replacement fora traditional pick & carry crane,”said Russ Taylor. “Both the spiderand platform are very portable andcan track over rough terrain. Weare experiencing huge demandfor the tracked carrier - it is theideal solution to loading/unloading,moving equipment as well asmoving materials needed for thespider to lift.”J T Cranes is already working ona larger capacity tracked crawlerto his own design, as well asdeveloping a range of accessoriesto allow the unit to self-unload,different carrier options, extendibletracks and possibly removablepower packs. The carrier is alsoable to tow and development workis being done to allow them to beused in tandem or multiple unitsusing one remote control allowingmuch larger and heavier items tobe carried extending their use evenfurther.J T Cranes showing off itssmall tracked carrier atVertikal Days“There is huge potential with thesecarriers, we currently have six in thefleet and will probably double thisnumber by the end of the year,” headds. “Hopefully when we exhibit atnext year’s Vertikal Days we will beable to show a new 1.4 metre wideunit with a capacity of three to fourtonnes.”Contract liftingAbout a year ago, JT Cranesdecided to form a new CPAContract Lift service taking on threeexperienced crane rental personnelfrom local mobile crane rentalcompany PCH. Headed up by StuartSmith with Darren Lee and MarkWeston, the division uses both thespider crane fleet and larger mobiles- all cross hired - to offer the mostcost effective solution to a liftingproblem, managing the whole liftingoperation from start to finish.Like so many conventional cranepeople, Smith was oblivious tothe benefits of the spider crane.Stuart SmithA three tonne capacity UnicURW 376 on a car park atWelwyn Garden CityIt was only when he realised thathis previous company was beatento a major lift by one of JT Crane’sUnic 706s over his 350 tonne AllTerrain that he started to appreciatetheir benefits. “It is the ability of thespider crane to get close to the liftthat gives it its main advantage,”he said. “The 706 was able to trackthrough service tunnels and wasthen lifted onto an internal roof tocarry out the lift which was clearlypreferableSpiders can beto the largeused for a widecrane set up variety of liftingtasks – herein the roadit is installingand liftinga chimneyover the roofof the mainbuilding. Inow checkevery lift tosee if it canbe carriedout with aspider crane- I am trulyconverted!”August/September 2014 cranes & access39
1275 - having a cruciform-type traditional outriggers. The Japanese products are ideal for rental applications, in that they are . can also pick and carry a full tonne, has hybrid power and a maximum .
