McLeod Cranes continues to invest in new technology and innovation. A recent example of this strategy is the purchase of a remote controlled Track Carrier 1200 PRO from Pace Cranes. Managing Director Scott McLeod explains more.
McLeod Cranes has seen steady growth in recent times – today it boasts a team of 180, operates a fleet which includes 50 Hiabs and 30 plus cranes and a fleet of transport vehicles.
“Business has been outstanding, we have seen really exciting times. Even as we see the economy change gear, we’re still seeing lots of exciting projects coming through and lots of opportunity,” said Scott.
“We’ve always approached the business in an innovative way, and we are prepared to embrace new technologies. The Track Carrier 1200 Pro is a good example of this. More recently we’ve introduced spider cranes and mini crawlers into the fleet because we want to be the best taxi crane company in the field. When a customer talks to us, we want to be in a position to offer the right machine for the job, as my father would have said, ‘we want to play with the full deck of cards, not just the one,’” he said.
“For Mcleod Cranes it is important that when we conduct a site inspection, we are looking to provide the best solution for the customer because we have a broad range of equipment available to us. We want the customer to walk away from the job saying ‘McLeod Cranes? They’re good bastards, they did an awesome job,” said Scott.
The process of investing in diverse equipment started some time ago, explains Scott.
“We started looking at areas of work that we were missing out on and looking at jobs where we probably had the wrong gear. A clear weakness in our offering was smaller equipment like mini crawlers and spider cranes. We started purchasing these which has led to a lot of earthquake strengthening work inside buildings where the working area is tight and confined. It is this type of application where a spider crane or a mini crawler are absolutely leaps and bounds ahead, they are incredible little machines.
Image: McLeod Cranes
“The move to smaller equipment led to us examining heavy manual lifting of building products (for example) where site personnel are involved. We prepared a task analysis and a process around this, and it was clear that it is a high risk activity where someone could be harmed. This analysis led us to the Track Carrier which is an outstanding tool,” he said.
“We bought the dolly with the carrier and also the mini crane, as we see this eliminating a massive amount of risk. When you are working with steel beam or a piece of equipment for example, you lift it onto the carrier and strap it down.
“The Track Carrier features very clever technology around its tilt angles which enhances the safety of the product. We can drive the carrier with the load, to the crane without anyone needing to touch it which is incredibly logical to me,” said Scott.
The Track Carrier 1200 PRO is an incredibly versatile machine with huge capabilities and many uses. With the ability to carry heavy loads of up to 1200kg or 2000kg with the dolly, which would usually require multiple persons, Tracked Carriers are a safe and cost effective solution that can provide material handling in the tightest of situations.
The rotating turntable can be locked or unlocked depending on the task. Unlocking the turntabling allows unmatched manoeuvrability and the ability to steer the load in awkward or tight spaces.
Perfect for transporting long, heavy loads, the dolly is manually steerable and adds an additional 1000kg capacity to the machine.
With a maximum gradient of 45 degrees, this machine excels on uneven terrain. It even has the capacity to climb stairs.
This makes it ideal for moving large sheets of glass or thin material over steep or uneven terrain. The A-frame remains under 2m tall when fitted.
“When you are talking big cranes, you’d maybe need a semi-trailer to bring a steel or concrete beam to lift. I don’t see it as being any different with a mini crawler or a spider crane. We need to have the right tools to make the handling of these types of materials safe and efficient for our customers.
“Increasingly, customers are thinking first and foremost about completing the job safely and efficiently and its then up to us to have the right tools in our deck of cards. We present these opportunities to them, and they chose the cards they want,” said Scott.
Scott discusses how the conversation about Track Carriers started with Pace Cranes.
“Some time ago, David ‘Chalky’ White from Pace Cranes and I were chatting and I’d been looking at the carriers for a while. We had a great discussion around the couple of products that they offer. One of the things about this particular option is that it has some really clever features especially the crane attachment.
“As our first machine, it provides a wide field of abilities and it hit the spot. With mini cranes, we are adding smaller and larger capacity cranes to make sure we are offering a broad range of options. It will be same with tracked carrier space. I think the Track Carrier 1200 Pro is an outstanding starting carrier for us. “Track Carriers offer all sorts of opportunities. Being a large Taxi Crane business we might be sending a 350 tonne all terrain to a wind farm and on the same day get a call from a Mum and Dad who want large pot plants moved, or sculptures lifted into place in their backyard.
“This type of work might mean we put a big crane on the street with traffic management out the front which is expensive. We can now throw a little bit of equipment or whatever they want, onto the Track Carrier, drive it down the side path and conduct the lift from there. As a taxi crane company, we need to be about solutions, and you can only provide these solutions if you’ve got that range and breadth of equipment. I feel like without this machine, we were only going half the distance, now we have it, we are playing with a full deck of cards,” said Scott.
“Before we received the machine, customers were talking about jobs they have coming up and they were already writing the Track Carrier into the job because of the labour costs, the time it would save and the safety aspects it brings. The Track Carrier sells itself and when you add the green element – it’s battery driven – to me this equipment is the future. It’s a great match for McLeod Cranes,” he said.