From difficult beginnings to creating a thriving crane hire business, husband and wife team Chris and Tash Johns have not been frightened to back themselves, as shown by their business 360 cranes and haulage.
Starting the business just as COVID-19 forced lockdowns across New Zealand and Australia wasn’t ideal timing, but Chris and Tash have since established themselves, and in testament to their tenacity and business skills, they recently took delivery of a new Tadano AC 4.O80-1.
360 Cranes and Haulage began with the acquisition of Jackson’s Cranes in Timaru three years ago.
“We bought a Terex Demag AC 55 City Class, a Franna, a truck and a couple of utes, a variety of lifting equipment and we secured the services of one of his employees. We pretty much took most of everything the owner Dave Jackson, had at the time. He had run a reasonably big operation, he had a branch in Christchurch and worked further afield, but when things started changing for him, he downsized and sold the house moving and heavy transport to former employees, now trading as House & Heavy Haulage Canterbury, and we took over most of what was left of the crane division,” said Tash.
“We’d been keeping everything confidential and officially took over on the 9th of March 2020, and I had my first meeting with the accountant the following week.
“As we’re sitting there, we got a notification that as a result of the COVID pandemic, New Zealand was going into lockdown. We had no idea what that meant, and neither did anyone else. So, we went into lockdown two and a half weeks after buying the business and with no income, the stress levels were through the roof,” she said.
But Chris and Tash persevered and gradually established themselves with customers that had previously been serviced by Jackson’s Cranes, and after nine months they purchased a second-hand Grove GMK5130-2. This proved to be a game changer for the pair as it offered far more capacity.
“The Grove is a 2010 model but it’s in excellent condition and with the extra capacity we were able to talk to more customers about bigger lifts and the business started to grow and it continues to grow every year,” she said.
360’s customers are from a broad range of industries, so the team will find themselves completing lifts around factories and the port, they work in the high country, around Oamaru and in the Canterbury area. The work is varied, and one day they’ll be lifting a pool over a house and the next they’ll be lifting components on a dam project.
The Tadano AC 4.080-1 all terrain features unbeatable lifting capacity in steep boom positions and its compact size means the four-axle crane can boast best-in-class jobsite accessibility.
The AC 4.080-1 blends outstanding reach with exceptional versatility. Fully equipped and roadable within a 16.5t axle load, extra transport is rarely needed.
With a main boom length of 60m, the AC 4.080-1’s reach can expand even further with a 6.5m extension that can be offset by 25 and 50 degrees. Its capacity is a generous 23.8t. Whether used as a main crane or a powerful assist crane, the lifting capacity in steep boom positions makes the AC 4.080-1 unbeatable in its class.
Chris talks about the lead up to purchasing the Tadano AC 4.080-1.
“Originally, we thought about selling the Terex Demag AC 55 only because we were looking at something newer. But we had been really impressed with the performance of the crane and also the support we received from Karl and the team at AllCrane Sales and Service,” he said.
“We decided to keep the Demag and invest in a medium sized crane. Our relationship with Karl had been developing, he’s been fantastic with his time and advice and we trust him. Purchasing the Tadano AC 4.080-1 felt like a natural progression for us and yeah, it’s been the best thing we’ve done really,” he said.
“I operate the crane when I can and I like it because it’s good on the road, it’s fast and easy to set up and it is a clever crane. It’s nice not having to cart lots of counterweight around, it’s got smart outriggers and it’s fully remote controlled as well,” said Chris.
The teams at Tadano and AllCrane Sales and Service have been there for Chris and Tash.
“They have been brilliant. The 55t Demag was a 2005 model, so it was quite old then, but AllCrane Sales and Service stuck by us all the way through. Whenever we rang them with a question or a problem, they’d always answer, they’d always help you out, and provide the right advice to fix it. We thought, ‘Well, if you’re giving us advice, help and support on this older crane, well why wouldn’t we support you?’” said Tash.
“And we were impressed with the product support coming from the team in Australia. We are a small company, really just starting out, but we have been treated equally with everyone else. Meeting everyone during ConExpo for example, and actually having conversations with technicians and senior management from the factories meant the world to us.
“The Tadano team understand the challenges we face as do Mike and Karl at AllCrane Sales and Service, and they are very approachable. It’s a refreshing approach and they deliver on what they say,” she said.
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360 Cranes and Haulages Tadano AC 4.080-1 was on display at the Crane Association New Zealand Conference in Christchurch earlier in the year where Tadano and AllCrane Sales and Service took out the Best Booth Award.
“It was our pleasure being involved with the Tadano and AllCrane Sales and Service booth and we are chuffed they took out the Best Booth Award. It was an opportunity to showcase a great product from Tadano and also an honour to receive the Best Booth Award on their behalf, in front of so many industry colleagues from New Zealand and Australia,” said Tash.