Running a family-owned crane business can be hard work. Compact Crane Solutions’ Elliot Bird discusses why he got into cranes, the help he has received from leading construction and heavy equipment distributor Tutt Bryant Equipment, and why he recently added a new SANY STC250T4 truck crane to his fleet.
Leaving behind the FIFO lifestyle and registering the family-owned company Compact Crane Solutions back in 2018, Elliot was keen to get back into some form of “normality”. There’s a hint of wistfulness as he reflectively talks about the inception of his company, and how it didn’t really take off initially.
“I owned a little 285 Maeda mini crane and tried to push it around for a while,” he says,“but I found I didn’t have the contacts and the wherewithal to really get it going.”
Set on establishing CCS as a reliable mini crane, truck, rigging and transport business on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Elliot persisted with door-knocking on various businesses where he believed the crane would be helpful.
“From there, we just kept pushing our case and pushing for work, and we upgraded and bought a semi-crane truck to work in tandem with the mini crane and the transport truck,” he said.
At this time, though, Elliot was still a solo operator – and with demand for CCS’s services skyrocketing, he knew he needed more hands on deck because he wasn’t keen on operating all three vehicles himself. He proceeded to recruit a couple of ex-FIFO workers who were also looking for a change of scenery.
With the organisation perpetually growing and the demand for CCS’ products on the rise, new cranes and machinery were always on the horizon. Enter Tutt Bryant Equipment, leading construction and heavy equipment company, and National Distributor for the Sany range of cranes. Elliot was confident Tutt Bryant would have the right solution and he found it in the new Sany STC250T4.
Featuring a 25t maximum lift capacity, Sany’s three-axle hydraulic truck crane possesses a 35m maximum boom length, a 10.5m minimum turning radius, and a 43m maximum lifting height.
With a hydraulic system designed around precision, the STC250T4 features a load sensing hydraulic system resulting in higher efficiency with less consumption, constant-pressure powered luffing, a big flow-piston sewing motor, and a power control mode that reduces engine speed by 12% in operation. What these details all result in is a crane that holds a smoother luffing capacity and uses less fuel.
Additionally, the Sany’s ‘smart-control’ system features a CAN-BUS system where the transfer of information can occur at speeds of 20ms, a BCM controller for easy fault detection and maintenance, a user-friendly seven-inch colour display with a smart panel and IO power distribution, as well as a LMI that monitors load and wire rope conditions.
“The STC250T4 is excellent,” said Elliot, “and the operating system behind it is quite easy to use.”
“It does rely on the operator to input the information correctly, but in terms of its functionality, the computer system, and the safety behind it: it does everything it needs to,” he said.
Other features of the STC250T4 include a spacious walking deck with an abundance of space between the deck and slewing platform, a max. single line pull of five tonnes on its winch for easy loading and a 300-litre fuel reservoir.
Citing its affordability as one of the key reasons for purchasing the crane, the 25t capacity truck crane has enabled CCS to quote on some larger jobs giving them the confidence to pull the trigger on expanding the business.
“It’s a great lifter, and it’s got really good charts,” said Elliot. “At full radius it has a very similar chart to a 40-tonne all terrain crane – hence the reason we went with the 25t truck crane.”
“With all the work we do, we’re operating in that 22-23 metre radius mark and for what that crane can do at that distance, it’s a perfect structural steel installment crane.”
On top of acquiring such a useful crane at a price within his range, Elliot also complimented the manner in which Tutt Bryant conducted business throughout the sales and delivery process, citing their open communication and transparency as being massively beneficial.
“We made a last minute, decision to purchase the crane and I reached out to Tutt Bryant’s National Crane Business Development Manager Peter Lawgall,” said Elliot. “He was actually off on leave but I managed to get his personal phone number and he negotiated the deal even though he was on holiday.”
CCS was very keen to take delivery of the crane quickly as work was already lined up for it. Tutt Bryant were quick to make the minor adjustments to the crane relating to CraneSafe compliance and communication regarding delivery times for the crane was transparent and professional.
“Tutt Bryant were so quick to make adjustments and the communication relating to the progress of the crane and when we would take it was just great – they were just straight onto it. This communication allowed me to move my schedule around because I knew when I would take delivery of it,” said Elliot.
Elliot admits that he didn’t really “know too much” about Chinese manufactured cranes, and with his family-owned business on the line, he wanted to make sure he was making the right choice.
He learned that Tutt Bryant Equipment have been very successful with the Sany brand since they were appointed as the National distributor in February 2021. A couple of conversations with some friends in the industry and after a quick analysis of the close proximity of Tutt Bryant service centres, Elliot was convinced.
“The fact that it’s powered by the Cummins engine and other componentry in the crane being world class, as well as having the support from a big company just an hour and a half down the road were all decision making factors.
“Working with a big organization like Tutt Bryant gave me all the confidence I needed to buy the Sany and it has worked out to be a terrific purchase for the business,” he said.