Melbourne’s Collective Crane Hire recently took delivery of a new Kato CR-130RF city crane.
Will Wardley and Paige Rookes started Collective Crane Hire just under three years ago and the business is based in Dandenong.
Collective Crane Hire specialises in general mobile crane hire, structural steel erection, and panel installation.
“Our fleet starts with a 2.8-tonne Maeda mini crawler and moves through to the new 13t Kato CR-130RF bubble,
a 16t bubble as well as 45t, 90t, and 130t all terrains, and a 20t Franna,” said Wardley.
After 15 years in the industry, Wardley could see opportunities within various niches of the Melbourne crane sector and he and Paige decided to back themselves and launched Collective Crane Hire with the Meada 2.8t mini crawler. The capabilities of Collective Crane Hire have grown quickly.
“Our business is driven by customer service and support. We literally listen to the problems facing our customers, take them on board and find the right solution. Initially, if we didn’t have the right crane for the job, we would work in with other crane companies who could provide what we needed,” said Wardley.
The 13t capacity CR-130Rf features a 24 metre, six-section boom with a two-stage 3.6m to 5.5m hydraulic luffing jib. The CR-130Rf city crane also come with a 3t capacity searcher hook.
Phil Chadwick, Tutt Bryant Equipment’s national crane business development manager southern region, added: “We like to work with clients like Collective Crane Hire. Enhancements to the CR-130RF model includes increased maximum road speed; searcher hooks as standard equipment; completely redesigned operator cabins; an automatic outrigger levelling system; and new green-efficient Stage IV engines. An industry first for mobile cranes is the parking distance assist system, which is fitted as standard.
“The Kato is better on chart in all boom lengths and the added bonus of a searcher hook for use when restricted height is an issue. It is a great feature on all Kato city class models, including the CR130RF, CR200RF, and CR250RV,” said Chadwick.
Wardley goes on to explain what he was looking for in the new city crane and why he chose the Kato CR130RF.
“We had been reading about the new Kato CR130RF and the reliability offered by the Kato machine was the key factor in our decision to purchase the crane. Paige and I have seen plenty of Kato city cranes around the industry and everyone talks about their reliability,” he said.
“We were also really impressed with the lifting charts boasted by the Kato and the inclusion of the searcher hook has enabled us to complete a number of glass installation projects on sites which had very tight space tolerances.
“The ability to have the 60° hydraulic luffing fly has proved to be a great feature. Kato’s charts are second-to-none in the 13t market. The crane is also very user friendly and operator training is very easy with the machine and this is as a result of how the computer system works,” said Wardley.
The CR130RF also has a number of excellent safety features.
“The crane tells you where the outriggers are positioned. With the multi-stage outriggers we can set up in really tight spaces. For us, it’s a no-fuss crane, which is based on traditional Japanese design, engineering, and manufacturing values. Reliability is built into every aspect of the crane.
“Our yard is almost directly across the road from Tutt Bryant and we saw a 13t bubble sitting in their yard and we really liked what we saw. I spoke to Phil Chadwick and he arranged to have our crane shipped from Perth.
“We’ve had the crane for just under three months and it has proved to be a really reliable machine and has worked most days. We see the Kato CR130RF as being a really well-utilised asset and it is headed to the Westgate Tunnel project, so we have some solid work for the crane,” said Wardley.
He goes on to talk about his relationship with Chadwick.
“I have known Phil for over a decade, he is a very experienced and knowledgeable and he really knows his cranes. Phil really went above and beyond to get this machine to us in an expedient manner,” said Wardley.