Untitled Document

News, Articles & Industry Links

December 2006
Crane Hot Line
By Tracy Bennett

Depending on whether you were buying or selling used cranes in 2006, this year could either be described as a nightmare or a fairytale. With the need for new cranes outstripping supply, used cranes remained in high demand, often fetching at auction as much as or more than their original price tag. This situation is more remarkable given that prices of some new machines have gone up by 35% in the past 3 years. "Three years ago, a 17 ton boom truck cost $75,000. Now, it is more than $100,000," said Scott Blair, president of financing specialist Heartland Wisconsin Corp., Milwaukee, Wis.

For contractors with work but not enough equipment to get the job done , the situation could be desperate. Unless you had planned ahead, getting new equipment was next to impossible. Deliveries of new cranes are taking at least 12 months and many manufacturers already indicate they are sold out through 2007. If you didnt make plans early, you may still be waiting for cranes you ordered in 2006. One dealer we interviewed last spring was ordering two new cranes for every one he had a buyer for speculating that by the time both machines arrived he would have already sold the second crane as well.

But the market also presented opportunities for many crane owners this year. I know of at least three small crane rental companies that decided the time was right to either retire or scale back their business. With demand outweighing supply, these business owners saw the opportunity to cash out. One rental company president decided to modify his business to simply bare rental work in order to make more time for a more personal endeavor (doing mission work for his church). One of the cranes in his excess fleet was only a few months old when it was sold at auction for more than he paid for it.

While 2006 may go down in history as the year of the "waiting list" (despite a 60% increase in North American crane shipments in 2005) 2007 may not be much better. Steve Filipov, president of Terex Cranes, Wilmington N.C., is bold enough to guess that demand and supply wont even out , allowing used crane prices to come back down until mid-2008. Unless you were on the "A" list with manufacturers you were probably too late to receive anything new in 2007. At least one crane manufacturer kept a tight lid on a new model it was developing for release in 2007 because (a representative shared with me) even without an official launch or publicity, every unit they are able to produce in 2007 is already spoken for.

For 2007 it looks like for the next year you'll either be turning steel into gold for every new or used crane you sell or you'll be hanging onto what you've got, measuring each machine's weight in gold for the work it can accomplish for you.

Robinhood Equipment's Response: Our job is to make sure your job is not only safe, but cost effective and whether that means providing you with a new boom or a rebuilt jib or part then thats exactly what we will do. Because a crane in good working condition is a valuable asset we strive to provide you with a finished product worthy of its weight in gold.

February, 12 2007
Crane Boom Incident Prompts NIOSH Report
By Josh Cable

According to the federal investigators, a 37-year-old Hispanic man who was killed while disassembling a lattice boom on a truck-mounted crane might be alive today if the employer had followed the crane manufacturer's safety recommendations and had provided training – in English and Spanish – on the correct procedures for disassembling cranes. The man, who was a carpenter's helper, was killed on Jan. 30, 2006, while assisting the crane operator in removing pins that secured the lattice boom's 40-foot center section to the base boom section. The incident – which occurred at a North Carolina bridge overpass construction site – and recommendations for employers are detailed in a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) report. "A Sense of Urgency" The FACE report points out that the crew at the bridge construction site that day "was told that a truck carrying concrete bridge panel decking was on its way to the site and the decking needed to be off-loaded and placed on the bridge that afternoon." "According to the crane operator, there was a sense of urgency to get the crane ready for the day's work," the report adds. Although the site superintendent, crane operator and two carpenter's helpers assembled the 70-foot section of the boom, according to the FACE report, "the crane operator was left in charge of the crane assembly and disassembly." The crane operator asked the victim to help him remove the four pins – two upper and two lower pins – that secured the 40-foot center section to the 20-foot lower boom section. When the second lower pin "would not budge," the victim picked up a pin that the crane operator previously had knocked out "and indicated with hand motions that [the crane operator] could use it as a punch to drive out the second bottom pin." "The crane operator moved from under the boom and reached through the lattice and pounded on the pin held by the victim as the victim, located under the boom, held the first pin against the second bottom pin," the report says. The crane operator reported to investigators that he told the victim to move out from under the boom – as the boom could fall – "and the victim moved from the center section to underneath the lower boom section." "After the crane operator pounded on the pin about four more times with a sledgehammer, the second bottom pin came out," the report says. "The boom hinged on the top two pins and the lower boom section fell on the victim's back and pinned him to the ground." According to the FACE report, the victim died of traumatic asphyxiation due to blunt force trauma.

Recommendations

To prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, the FACE report offers three recommendations:

1. Employers should ensure that manufacturer's safety recommendations for proper blocking and support procedures to prevent movement of boom sections are implemented when disassembling cranes. In this incident, the crane manufacturer's operating manual warns that workers should "never stand under a boom when removing pins" and that "incorrect disassembly of a pin-connected boom may result in machine damage, personal injury or even death."

2. Employers should ensure that all workers assigned to disassemble or assist in disassembling cranes are trained on correct procedures, using a language and literacy level that workers can understand. The FACE report notes that victim in this incident "was not specifically trained in safety hazards associated with disassembling booms in English or Spanish and had never helped disassemble a crane boom before." It also points out that the crane operator "spoke English and, although a trained and certified crane operator, had never performed boom disassembly procedures as the lead worker before."

3. Employers should ensure that pre-work safety meetings are conducted each day to discuss the work to be performed, to identify the potential safety hazards and to implement safe work procedures. Although the FACE report notes that, in this case, the company foreman or superintendent typically held a pre-work safety huddle – in English – each morning before work, on the day of the incident a safety meeting was not held.

An informed consumer is a smart consumer.

At Robinhood Equipment, we never want you to be in the dark about your crane. Thats why we wanted to let you know about the new edition of the industry's crane guide:

Hot Line Crane Guide gives you the "Blue Book Advantage" when you buy, sell or transport cranes! This annual guide contains the following: " Six categories of cranes: All Terrain Cranes, Boom Trucks, Crawler Cranes, Hydraulic Truck Cranes, Industrial Cranes, Lattice Truck Cranes and Rough Terrain Cranes. " Serial Numbers from 1940 to 2006! " Specifications on hundreds of models from more than 100 crane manufacturers. " Machine dimensions. " Access to actual listings of what cranes are selling for in the industry. " Click here to go to the site to order your 2007 Crane Guide! "

Bob's Crane and Rigging Handbook Now Available in Spanish June 20, 2007 - Pellow Engineering Services, Kansas City, Mo., recently announced that several of its technical publications are now being offered in Spanish. These publications include the top selling Bob's Rigging and Crane Handbook, which is available as a desk or pocket-size edition. Widely distribution in English since 1989, Bob's Crane and Rigging Handbook is recognized throughout the crane and rigging industry as one of the top reference materials and includes information on established rigging and crane procedures, crew safety, and quality workmanship. Pellow Engineering Services also offers two laminated pocket-sized reference cards in Spanish: Bob's Rigging Reference Card and Bob's Crane Reference Card. These tools are used for quick assistance in the field. For more information, visit www.donpellow.com.