It is no secret that working in the glass sector poses a number of unique challenges, none more so than the sheer fragility of the lift, this is why Hayden Roper from Cranes 4 Hire turned to the Maeda range of mini cranes.
Starting his glazing apprenticeship in 2007, the pull of the crane industry was simply too much for Roper and when he moved to Melbourne, he completed his tickets and began to utilise the Maeda cranes which soon became the cornerstone of his own business.
“It proved a little challenging initially to find my way into the industry when I first got my tickets, eventually I decided to go it alone and bought my own crane and decided to specialise in what I knew and remain in the glass sector,” Roper said.
Cranes 4 Hire began with a Maeda MC285C-3 before quickly establishing a need for a greater capacity turning to the MC305C and then also approaching Pace Cranes for a tracked carrier to solve unique challenges they faced.
“We focus in on the glass side of lifting, we understand the ins and outs and by going with the Maeda range we know what we are doing and have a lot of confidence in what we can achieve. We don’t really complete much of the ‘standard’ crane work, we point people in the direction of companies in Melbourne who are better placed to complete those kinds of lifts.
“We went with the MC285C-3 initially as the size of it was impressive, the weight of the machine came in at bang on two tonnes so we were able to reduce the floor point loading on certain slabs,” Roper said.
The MC285C-3 has a capacity of 2.82t working at a distance of 1.4 metres with a maximum radius of 8.2 metres and a maximum lifting height of 8.7 metres. The MC285C-3 comes with multi angle position outriggers making it ideal for tight glass work.
“We love the MC285C-3, it’s so slight when in position it is perfect in and around homes particularly in Melbourne where space can be at a premium,” Roper said.
It comes with an array of added safety features including tilt alarms, working status lamps and a data logger offering the safest working environment.
The MC285C-3 has a fantastic ability to fit through tight doorways with a width of only 750 millimetres which once again drew Roper to the machine initially.
“We have had it for about four years now and it has hardly missed a beat, the only time it stopped was a seal in the track getting damaged and that was from me driving it through mud that was too thick and it was a simple $30 part.
“The MC285C-3 has been fantastic but we needed to go a little bigger so we turned again to Pace Cranes for the MC305C which would just give us a little bit more,” Roper said.
The MC305C has a capacity of 3 tonnes at a distance of 2.5 metres and a maximum radius of 12.16 metres and a maximum height of 12.52 metres. Coming with many of the same safety features as the MC285C-3.
Roper explains why the company went with the Maeda and how they have been well supported by Pace Cranes
“The main reason why I went with Maeda, is because of Pace Cranes, there are a lot of good machines out there, don’t get me wrong, but the service from Pace is second to none.
“Its after sales service, and the reliability of the machine has been proven across the years. There are some old ones getting around still and that shows the quality of the Maeda brand and put that with the care Pace put into them, it just makes compete sense,” Roper said.
The two Maeda mini cranes are not where the servicing from Pace Cranes ends with the team at Cranes 4 Hire utilising a tracked carrier for its glasswork as Roper explains.
“I’d say two years ago, we looked at getting a bigger crane because we were finding that most big bits of glass normally come in at about 500 to 600 kilograms and they are only going to get heavier from here, so we had to start to make these considerations and look at future proofing our fleet,” Roper said.
“Often big pieces of glass are going to be at the back of a house. To get it out at the back of the house, we were sitting there thinking; ‘We’re going to get a bigger crane, and throw it over the top.
“The physical size of a crane to go over a house poses a number of challenges. Then we had the idea to go with the tracked carrier, we thought instead of spending a heap of money on a massive crane, we can just build this tracked carrier, and then you can take the glass with a smaller crane, this allows us to pass these savings onto our customers.
“Bremner Glass Equipment designed the top part for us, they do all the truck bodies and A Frames for the glass and glazing industry. The engineers there had the expertise to design the machine. The top is effectively the same as a bench used for glass cutting that has been engineered to tilt at varying angles depending on how low the roof it has to pass under,” Roper said.
By using the tracked carrier Cranes 4 Hire saves on street permits and issues associated with flying glass over buildings.
“We wanted something that could carry a tonne as very rarely we get something bigger than that. The challenge was always being able to carry an 800 kilogram piece of glass and have the ability to lay it flat to get it under a low ceiling or stand it up to be as skinny as possible to get it through doorways.
“We do a lot of shopping centre work, they can have large pieces that can prove to be very challenging to get into the building. One we completed work with recently, they were unable to get a piece of glass in using standard glass manipulators.
“We were able to adjust the tracked carrier so it had 10mm of clearance in the top and bottom corner and get it into the building with no issues, it has been such an asset.
“The tracked carrier has been a great addition, it gives us the opportunity to think outside the square but also we know the machine itself is high quality,” Roper said.
Cranes 4 Hire is quickly become one of the pre-eminent glass lifters in Melbourne, recently appearing on the channel nine program The Block. The company has plans to continue growing the fleet and Roper expects to once again to turn to Pace Cranes for fresh Maedas.