Here's one for Crane King Cog (who's been absent for far too long on Biglorryblog!). Gatwick Group, the pioneering company that specialises in lifting payloads that other companies say "can't be done", is clearly not about to settle for second best when it comes to its truck-mounted cranes. And, for managing director Bob Toon, there's only one choice, HIAB. So much so that the transport and load handling specialist, based on the doorstep of Gatwick Airport and with further depots opening across the UK, has purchased a further nine HIAB cranes to form a sixteen-strong, all HIAB fleet that, in Bob's opinion, is capable of anything.
Six trucks have already been delivered, all with cranes from the HIAB XS range - capable of lifting weights of up to 18 tonnes, and with spans ranging as far as 22m using a fly-jib. Coupled with its existing HIAB fleet, with reaches of up to 27.9m and winch capabilities, there is now a crane to answer any load handling situation that clients, which include British Airports Authority (BAA), Network Rail and a number of blue chip construction companies, may require. Now click through here for more....
With works that involve some of the world's busiest airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, the London Underground and a notoriously complex rail network, the incredible dexterity and load bearing qualities of the HIAB units continues to set new benchmarks in efficiency for the rest of the industry to follow. One such example is when payloads need to be unloaded next to rail tracks. While other transport companies require direct access to the tracks, often travelling miles out of the way to enter via an access point, Gatwick Group's fly-jib equipped HIABs simply reach across the tracks - often up to four at a time - to deliver the load precisely where it is needed.
Bob Toon explains to me, "My policy is to go for the best of everything. That way, we have a team of drivers who take pride in their work and are willing to go the extra mile to deliver. Plus we enjoy the reassurance of excellent reliability. For me, HIAB is the very best by a long way. I see no constraints in what they can do." Job sorted then!