Hook & Haul’s Rick Mathews and partner Melinda have been dry hiring cranes for the best part of a decade. They recently took delivery of a new Franna MAC25-5. Rick provides background to the purchase and the history relating to the business.
“When we started Hook & Haul in 2015, I was doing crane maintenance for various crane companies and dealers out of a $2000 Falcon ute, but the intention was always to be a dry hire crane business,” said Rick.
“Back in the ’90s I completed my diesel mechanic apprenticeship for a tower company and their business model was to hire tower cranes to crane companies and builders. This provided me with the concept of a dry hire business.
“From there I worked in crane maintenance and rigging and spent 10 years in workshop and equipment management. During this time, I was fortunate enough to receive a significant level of management training, including being sent to INSEAD Business School in France and studying lean manufacturing at various Komatsu facilities in Japan.”
The business name Hook & Haul is a nod to the Franna pick and carry range which dominates the fleet, said Rick.
“We predominantly hire our cranes to crane hire companies; we don’t offer any form of wet hire so our customers can be confident we won’t be approaching their customers directly.
“Given that we are often partnering with our customers, the fleet is tailored to meet their requirements. We typically like to have around 15 Franna MAC 25 Super Lifts in the fleet. While the fleet is dominated by Frannas, we also hire city cranes and a couple of all terrains.
“We are currently working with customers around Australia, so pretty much where there’s cranes you may see one of ours too. Even though it may be painted in our customers colours.”
Strategies for sustainability and lowering Australia’s carbon footprint are being implemented across all industry sectors and, as highlighted at the Crane Industry Council of Australia’s 2024 National Conference and Exhibition in Adelaide, the crane industry is becoming increasingly focused on reducing emissions.
Rick said more of his customers, and their customers, are talking about this aspect of crane hire. Across the board, crane manufacturers are moving towards lowering emissions and the Franna MAC 25-5 is a perfect example of sustainable innovation.
Images: Hook & Haul, Terex Franna and Prime Creative
“With the new Australian Design Rules (ADR) compliance regulations now in effect, Terex Franna has taken the opportunity to incorporate new technology across the entire Franna range, including the AT22-2, MAC25-5 and AT40-2,” he said.
“Each model in the line-up has received significant upgrades designed to reduce environmental impact and improve operational efficiency.”
Although this is new technology for Franna, it is technology that has been powering European all terrains and other special purpose vehicles for many years. The technology has been implemented as a result of regulatory compliance requirements, but Franna has taken the opportunity to also improve performance – the Mercedes OM936 is a proven 7.7 litre engine versus the outgoing OM906’s 6.4 litre displacement, power and torque are up across the range (up to 230kW and 1300Nm respectively) as fitted to the AT40-2. The OM936 boasts a well-established track record, having undergone more than a decade of refinements to achieve exceptional reliability.
Franna’s dedicated engineering team collaborated directly with the German manufacturer, MTU, in conjunction with Penske Power Systems, the authorised distributor of Mercedes Benz engines in Australia, to ensure seamless integration of the OM936 into the range.
The Series upgrade goes beyond just the new OM936 engine. Franna has implemented a series of additional enhancements across all models, designed to streamline customers’ lifting operations enhancing useability, productivity and safety. All Franna models have been upgraded to ensure they are compliant with current ADR compliance standards, including lights, visibility, noise levels, ABS braking and emission standards, along with a suite of safety features.
Safety remains an unwavering priority for Franna. The Series upgrade elevates safety standards by incorporating Franna’s patent pending Safety Radar as a standard feature.
Hook & Haul has always taken a sustainable approach to Frannas operating in the fleet, said Rick.
“The Franna is an incredibly ‘rebuildable’ crane with most parts still available or there is a retrofit solution even dating back to the early models. It’s important to our business that our cranes have good resale value when we determine it is time for them to leave the business.
“With the customer base we supply to, we tend to divest cranes by the time they are 15 years old. Companies that have bought our used cranes will attest to the condition of the Frannas when they leave our fleet. We avoid treating cranes as disposable items. We prioritise sustainability by maintaining and reusing cranes rather than treating them as disposable assets. Franna’s are a great practical example of renewable principles.
“Conversely, we have bought Franna cranes in the past from larger companies, which have been physically and financially depreciated. Given my crane maintenance background, we have been able to fully rebuild them, returning them to compliant and reliable cranes. So, in our own way we have always taken a sustainable approach to our crane fleet. Customers know they are going to get a no ‘BS’ approach from Hook & Haul and well-maintained quality cranes,” he said.
Currently the capacities in Hook and Haul fleet look like this:
• Franna Cranes capacities 12t, 25t and 40t
• City Cranes capacities 13t, 16t and 20t
• Liebherr All Terrains 55t and 60t
• Abbey hoist 2t
Rick goes on to discuss why the Franna pick and carry remains so popular with operators.
“Our industry has significantly evolved, and operators appreciate that engineering controls have taken away the pressure there once was to push the crane past its designed lifting capabilities. The latest Safety Radar LMI upgrade provides a visual guide to the operator of what articulating the crane will have on the capacity, before the crane is articulated.
“While driving a Franna might be a little daunting at first, due to the width and the articulation point being behind the driver’s cab, if an operator is taken to a quiet area and given the opportunity to get a feel for how the crane steers and how it sits in a lane, they soon become comfortable with driving in traffic.
“As our industry continues its safety journey, we now understand that there is more need for on road training around articulating cranes. CICA has developed the Articulated Crane On-Road Course, which consists of both an on-line adaptive learning course and a practical on road component, which promotes information and experience sharing amongst peers. Maintenance-wise, adherence to OEM guidelines around articulation and steering cylinder wear also aid the operator to feel more relaxed while driving the crane on road,” said Rick.
He goes on to discuss Hook & Haul’s relationship with Terex Franna.
“I work closely with Robin Ghosh, Regional Sales Manager at Terex Franna from whom I have bought four brand new and a number of used Frannas. Robin has always listened to my requirements and made sure the deal has worked for both parties. Our relationship with Franna’s product support and service managers around Australia has also been integral to ongoing performance of our Franna fleet and the relationships with Quentin Bourke (Product Support Technician) and Andrew Howe (Service Manager Vic) have been pivotal to our success. If you follow the OEM service guidelines, they are the most sturdy and reliable tools of the industry,” he said.
“I am not one to cold call companies or impose myself by turning up on a customer’s doorstep. Our cranes are not heavily branded and whilst we have a social media presence, we don’t post pictures of our cranes on a customer site. And if one of our cranes is posted with a customer name on it, we do not feel the need to make the post about us, so Hook & Haul does not have a particularly high profile. That said, I’d like to thank our customers and well-wishers, many of which I’ve never met, for the constant support and confidence they have shown in us.”