Williams Cranes & Rigging recently took delivery of two new model, Kato CR200Rf City Cranes. The business has been operating Katos for 20 plus years and they’ve always performed exceptionally well said owner, Smiley Williams.
Williams Cranes & Rigging operates from its depot in Pinkenba, Queensland, and predominantly supplies wet hire crane services to the SE Queensland area. The company also dry hires cranes and lifting equipment all over Australia and PNG.
“Our largest crane is a 100-tonne capacity all terrain and we go right down to the two-tonne crawler cranes. We run a number of brands including Liebherr, Demag, Kato, Tadano, Maeda and Franna’s,” said Smiley.
“What do we like about the Katos? They are incredibly reliable and operator friendly. They are also well-engineered with great hydraulics. What have they done for our business? They have worked in numerous applications including construction, steel erection and the petrochemical chemical sector. With the small footprint, they are ideal for getting into tight locations, but they still offer plenty of lifting capacity,” he said.
“In my opinion Katos are built with traditional Japanese engineering values. They feature the latest technology, but they are constructed with a strong focus on the engineering which makes for a fundamentally ‘sound’ crane. For me, and I’m going back 40 years, everything to do with Japanese cranes is focused on reliability and longevity. Kato’s cranes work hard over a long period of time.”
Smiley discusses the evolution of the business in terms of the Kato City Cranes.
“We’ve been operating Katos for years. We’ve gone through the 13s and the 20s, and in 2021 we took delivery of a new 25-tonne class Kato, the CR-250Rv City Crane. We’ve just bought another two new 20-tonne cranes to replace the older two 20-tonne Katos in the fleet,” he said.
“We’ve found the Kato to be a really reliable crane. We haven’t had any technical issues and we like the Japanese approach to the engineering and manufacture of the crane, it’s full of traditional Japanese values,” said Smiley.
The Kato CR200Rf 20-tonne city crane features a number of new technologies designed to make the crane more operable in city type applications. The newly developed jib system makes for an easy and efficient jib operation and the latest Automatic Crane System (ACS) and various monitor cameras (as optional extra equipment) are available to provide safer crane operations.
The Kato CR200Rf boom features six sections and is hydraulically telescopic, with a length of 6.5m to 28m and a maximum height of 29.1m. It also has a fly and needle with a maximum lift height of 34.8m.
“It’s also a very handy crane for the sectors we service where we find many of the jobs have challenges like tight and compact spaces to operate in. The Kato has a tight tail swing and is a very compact crane. The operators like them, and they are nice and easy to operate on site,” said Smiley.
The cab is designed with the operator in mind with a roomy wide cab, comfortable reclining seat and wide foot space. The slanted boom provides a wider view of the work site. Various safety monitor cameras assist with safer operations and driving.
Features also include ACS with a touch panel, colour information display, which the operator can use to save on fuel consumption by checking the working time on the display. The ECO switch controls the engine speed during operation as well during driving. Up to 10 per cent energy savings can be made compared with regular driving on flat roads.
Ergonomic cab
The cab impresses with an all-round excellent field of view and provides outstanding operator comfort due to the hydro-pneumatic suspension. Furthermore, it has a built-in IC tag providing high-level security, therefore reducing the risk of crane theft.
There are a number of important safety features included on the CR-250Rv.
The Kato Automatic Crane System is (ACS) is an automatic safety device feature that instantly responds to any direct changes in various operating configurations.
It has a range of limiting functions that increase safety during operation. With its high-intensity colour LCD, the new ACS makes operations easier as it provides illustrated key switches, enabling quick identification of their functions for each operation.
“We work closely with Peter Lawgall and his team at Tutt Bryant Equipment. Their service has been excellent, and they are great to deal with. Whenever you need something, they are there. They answer their mobiles when you call, and they do what they say they are going to do. They know how to look after you,” said Smiley.
“We have a great relationship with Peter. He does a wonderful job of running the sales team and supplying excellent machines. We have worked with Tutt Bryant and earlier Kato distributors for many years,” he said.
“We have always had good relationships with all the departments at Tutt Bryant, including sales, product support and parts. Each team has great communication skills and always keep us in the loop whenever any of our cranes have an issue.”
“The Katos are out there all day everyday doing their job, doing what we bought them for and doing it well,” said Smiley.
“We’ve got six in the fleet now and they don’t miss a beat.”
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