Turning full circle?

On 2 September 1942 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US native Roy O Billings filed his patent application for a 'truck crane'. In his filing, former crane operator Billings argued the case for a lighter alternative to heavy lattice boom truck cranes, which then required 7USt trucks, claiming his hydraulic telescopic boom crane could be mounted on a small 1 ½ USt truck.

Billings' invention was truly visionary: the crane features a telescopic boom with internal hydraulic cylinder, H-style outriggers, full slew and hydraulic hoist. With his Milwaukee Hydraulics Company, Billings went on to develop a series of Hydrocranes, and sold many hundreds before selling the rights to Bucyrus-Erie in 1948. Over the next 30 years Roy continued to develop hydraulic crane and excavator designs, gaining more than 20 US patents.

Though the Hydrocranes were mounted on small commercial trucks, true purpose-designed crane carriers were already part of the landscape. They had been pioneered in the mid-1930s by Michigan Power Shovel, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, and by Thew Shovel of Lorain. These small 6-8USt capacity cranes would transform truck crane design thinking, not only in the US but also in Europe. During WWII, John Allen & Sons of Oxford, UK, was granted a wartime manufacturing license for these cranes: it would later become Grove's first European manufacturing base.

Atlantic rift
As significant as the Hydrocrane undoubtedly was, it was far from being the first small truck-mounted crane. Pole trucks, literally trucks with wooden poles pivoted from the back of the truck cab, had been a common feature in the early years of the last century. The use of hydraulics on cranes substantially emerged in the 1930s and got a tremendous boost during WWII. As the hydraulic truck-mounted crane took off in the 1950s, the Europeans evolved the articulated knuckleboom while North America always favoured the more straightforward approach of a telescopic boom.

Naturally there has been significant thinning-out of the North American truckmounted industry but even so there are still over 50 North American manufacturers, most of them competing in just one or two categories.

Building boom
Boom trucks have grown from small beginnings, when 5-10USt back-of-cab cranes with short booms were the norm, to now cover sizes from 15-50USt, with reach sometimes exceeding 150ft.

There remains confusion in terminology in the US where long-boom cranes of 30-50USt capacity -- complete with swing cabs -- are still grouped along with boom trucks. They are more accurately described as truck-mounted cranes. Increasingly they are taking a healthy bite out of the market for truck cranes on carriers made by Grove, Link-Belt, Terex, etc.

As Manitowoc's product manager Ruben Olivas Saunders says, "We are seeing more of a shift to truck cranes mounted on commercially available chassis. Especially around the 50USt capacity range we are seeing a strong increase in demand.

"Our NBT 50 and NBT 55 cranes from our National Crane brand are both extremely popular. Our 45-tonner is the preferred size in the energy industry where coil tubing and wireline applications are demanding bigger cranes. We have also seen demand from customers working on powerline installation and maintenance, not just for capacity but for reach.

"Some have found it more economical to purchase a commercial truck-mounted crane with a long boom and aerial work basket than to purchase a purpose-designed truck-mounted aerial platform. The investment is lower and you get a dual-purpose machine. We also have plans in the future to manufacture or assemble commercial truck-mounted cranes for the Brazilian market (at our new factory in Brazil)."

Unique in their field
Probably the category least well-known outside of North America is the field service truck crane. When supporting heavy machinery, and particularly in the North America, service truly is king. Here, investment in such service vehicles and equipment far eclipses that of anywhere else on the globe.

At the heart of this sector are highly-spec'd mechanics trucks equipped with purpose-designed cranes precisely tailored to their applications. While there are service trucks and cranes of a variety of shapes and sizes made and sold all over the world, in North America it is quite literally an art form.

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Autocrane claims to have built the first service body designed exclusively for use with a telescopic crane in 1985. Today, almost all the major service crane manufacturers also design and make their own lines of mechanics truck and propane bodies. These include Autocrane, Feterl, IMT, Jomac, Maintainer, Omaha Standard (Palfinger), RKI, Stahl and Stellar. Venturo, while not building bodies itself, has its bodies made exclusively.

However there are some well-established crane makers who are not in the body building business. Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Star Machine and Tool has been building small truck mounted cranes since the late 1940s while Houston, Texas-based Liftmoore has been building telescopic cranes since 1961. Ideal Crane of Madison, Wisconsin, was started in 1957 by Bert Parkhurst to build his hand-operated boom loader: at the time, that sold for just $120! Conversely, there are several specialist body builders who are not in the crane business, including the very wellestablished Knapheide and Reading.

When choosing these trucks, mechanics are even more demanding than if they were buying themselves a new car. These vehicles are their 'office' and everything they need must be there and in the right place. They work all hours, night and day, 24/7, through whatever the weather throws at them. Jobs often involve supporting the repair of heavy agricultural machinery, oil field rigs, earthmoving or mining machinery.

Getting the job done often means beating the weather, meeting supply demands, completing a construction project on time or keeping a mining operation going without interruption. In such circumstances, the costs per hour of lost productivity can be huge. To whatever extent a new crane helps mechanics get the job done more efficiently and quickly thanks to using the right tools, it's money well spent.

As a norm, the specifying of these field service vehicles in North America far exceeds the standard in almost every part of the world. The manufacturers of these bodies place great emphasis upon the incredibly high quality protective paint finish applied, the quality of welding, of hinges and fasteners, the gauge of materials used and the long list of high-quality accessories available.

Mechanics (or field service) trucks have a long history. Naturally enough, as soon as the first trucks hit the road a century ago, owners started to modify them to suit specific purposes. Even before WWI truck bodies suited to applications as diverse as compartmentalizing the transportation of early telephones or toolboxes, safely carrying basketed gas bottles, or transporting telegraph pole crews and their equipment were being designed and built.

But there was no standard or efficiency in the business until the industry developed separate bodies and knock-down bodies. Over time and especially during the immediate post-WWII period, the industry boomed with the rise-and-rise of the pickup truck, the heart of the industry. One pioneer was Carl G Stahl, who started building service trucks at a Wooster, Ohio-based facility back in 1946.

It was in 1958 that Auto Crane Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma built its first crane to handle drill bits for The Hughes Tool Company. It was a very small jib crane that in fact was called an Autocrane because it has carried in the trunk of an automobile, but it was a start.

Today, purpose-designed mechanics trucks designed for crane service are offered in classes from approximately 10,500-33,000lb (4.75-15.0t) GVWR. These trucks can support cranes from 6,000-
14,000lbs (2.75-6.3t) maximum capacity or from 10,500-95,000 ft lbs (1.4-13.5tm) load moment.

More than twenty US manufacturers offer approximately 100 different models of small truck-mounted cranes. However as Tim Worman, product manager of Commercial Vehicles at Iowa Mold Tooling says, "The most popular truck crane for the market is shared between 6,000-7000lb (2.7-3.2t) and 10,000lb (4.5t), which together account for more than 50% of the market."

The crane bodies themselves can weigh anything between 1500-6,000lb (700-2,700kg). They not only offer heavy-duty tool compartments and equipment carrying-capacity but also act as a 'stiff' carrier base supporting cranes weighing up to 3,000lbs (1360kgs). American mechanics are very particular about the quality size and design of their storage compartments, which invariably are constructed of galvanized steel of 10, 12 or 14-gauge. Compartment storage capacity can vary from approximately 60 cu ft (1.8cu m) to 250 cu ft. (7.0cu m). In addition to the cranes, these trucks can be equipped with generator sets, air compressors, air hose reels, welding sets, work benches with vices or saws plus all the normal tie-downs and lighting set-ups.

Cranes are also mounted on propane body trucks offered by the same suppliers. Typically, these allow propane tanks of up to 500 gallons or propane tanks up to 15 x 100lb (45kg) to be hauled.

In addition to offering a wide range of mechanics, propane, and lube bodies, several of the leading manufacturers also offer lines of air compressors. Last year IMT introduced the option of a 35DHP diesel-engine driven power pack designed to operate the crane or air compressor with the truck engine switched off, to conserve fuel and truck engine life.

Typically service truck cranes feature three-section booms that are either partially powered or, for the medium-to-large sizes, fully-powered.

Boom lengths are quite short, in line with the limited reach needed. Extended boom lengths range from 15- 31ft (4.57-9.15m).

However, booms are getting longer with leading manufacturers offering a choice of booms in the 20-24ft (6-to-7.5m) and 29-31ft (8.8-to-9.5m) ranges on cranes of 50,000ft lb (7tm) load moment and greater. The leading manufacturers are also compensating for the higher potential weight of longer booms by using higher-grade steels, which also can keep boom weights down and avoid the need for larger and more costly vehicles.

While the maximum capacity of US telescopic boom field service cranes tops out at 14,000lbs (6.35t), maximum load moment capacity has gradually increased from around 70,000 ft lb (9.7tm) to as high as 95,000 ft lbs (13.5tm).

Amongst the newer features being phased in are so-called 'flip sheaves', tilting boom heads which allow the head to be pivoted from normal to in-line position to improve access into machinery housings, etc.

Several of the US manufacturers of field service cranes -- Autocrane, IMT, Jomac and Palfinger -- also manufacture lines of knuckleboom should these be preferred or when greater capacity or reach is needed.

Most US manufacturers offer their small-to-medium class telescopic boom cranes in a choice of electric or hydraulically-powered versions. All DC electrically-powered cranes have a limited duty cycle as per SAE J.706 (Section 6.2) and are limited by heat-build-up in the motors as well as the declining charge of the batteries.

Failure to provide adequate voltage and observe duty cycle constraints results in premature motor failure. All DC-powered cranes need to have an auxiliary battery located as close to the crane as possible to ensure adequate voltage.

Little lifters
There are many applications where service trucks, as well as numerous other vehicles, require a crane to load or handle lighter loads. Here North America is also very well catered for. These much smaller cranes can cost as little as a few hundred dollars. Even a very basic crane of 6,000lbs (2.7t) capacity can be purchased for around $2,000.

These small cranes generally take two forms, folding bumper cranes and folding post cranes. The former are very basic small cranes typically with capacities of 500-2000lb (227-907kgs) and their key feature is that they are stowed flat inside the specially-designed reinforced rear bumpers of pick-up trucks or other vehicles. Most have no powered functions, save for an electric winch.

Next up the scale are the folding post cranes that typically are mounted in a rear corner of the truck bed with the jib folded against the mast to occupy minimum space when not in use. In this category, specs vary from the cranes being completely manual to full power DC electric cranes with 2,000 -- 6,000lbs (0.9-2.7t) capacity. Most of the US field service truck-mounted crane makers also offer one or two models of these folding cranes, but there are also some specialists.

Fierce business
With such a significant number of well-established competitors, it's a tough battle to compete and business failures as well as acquisitions continue. One of the industry's longest-established companies, Omaha Standard of Council Bluffs, Iowa, established in 1926, is experiencing a new lease of life since being acquired by Palfinger in September 2008. At a stroke, the body manufacturer, with 450 employees and revenues of $79m, doubled Palfinger's North American revenues.

Palfinger quickly expanded its young line of telescopic boom field service cranes, introducing four models of 8,000-4,000lbs (3.6-6.3t) capacity to the Iowa production lines in 2010. At the NTEA's Work Truck Show this past March, Palfinger made another emphatic statement, introducing five more models crowded in the popular 4,000lb -- 6,000lb (1.8 -- 2.7t) classes. All five are available in either electric or hydraulic versions and feature hexagonal booms, 2- block damage protection, wireless remote controls with manual over-ride, and optional powered extensions with internal cylinders.

In fact this was Palfinger's second move into the service truck crane arena, having picked up the Ideal Crane 'Liberator' line through its 2010 acquisition of Oklahoma City-based ETI Equipment Technology. Quietly, through a series of acquisitions over the past few years, Palfinger has put together a very formidable US manufacturing and distribution business.

Unfortunately, in 2009, one of the true pioneering great companies of the business, Pitman Utility Products, finally threw in the towel. Since Raymond O Pitman and his son Raymond F Pitman entered the boom truck business back in the late 1940s, they've been through numerous twists and turns but somehow kept going. But at least Pitman's customers should now be in good hands since Altec NUECO acquired the Pitman parts business last October.

Salem, South Dakota-based Feterl, is back in business after a brief pause. When the company was acquired in February 2010 by Russian-owned Buhler Industries of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, it looked like the end for Feterl's utility equipment line. Farm machinery conglomerate Buhler only wanted the 60-year old company's agricultural machinery lines.

But at the end of last year, Teamco, a maker of giant mobile snow-blowers, came to terms with Buhler and acquired the product lines. Over the course of the early months of this year Teamco transferred production of the Feterl lines of 'PowerLift' crane and mechanics trucks to Teamco's state-of-the-art facility in Tea, South Dakota.

Meanwhile Garner, Iowa-based Stellar Industries has continued to expand its operations. Last year the company acquired trailer manufacturer Kiefer Built, based in Sneedville, Tennessee, and also acquired the former United Rentals' rental facility in Mason City, Iowa. Stellar's president David Zrostlik said "Our facilities in Garner are much better suited for manufacturing and installations of new equipment, however, over the years, more and more customers were relying on us for service and repair work. It made perfect sense for us to purchase an existing facility in Mason City where we have easy access to the Interstate and Avenue of the Saints. Also being located close to our Garner home base will allow us to easily support this location with our manufacturing facility." Even so, in September Stellar added a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 sq mt) extension to its main plant to further boost capacity.