Western Australia’s Halifax Crane Hire recently took delivery of a new Franna AT40-2. It’s the latest addition to an already significant fleet of pick and carry crane brand. Robyn DeMarte, Director and Co-Founder of the company explains more.
“We founded Halifax Crane Hire back in 1995 and for almost the entire time we’ve been in business, we’ve had a Franna in the fleet. We started with a 15 tonne capacity Franna some 27 years ago and we now have 11 in the fleet with capacities from 15t to the Mac 25s with 25t capacities, through to the original AT40 and now the AT40-2 with 40t capacities,” said Robyn.
“All of this time, we’ve experienced very little mechanical problems with the Frannas and when there have been issues, the product support and service from the team has been wonderful.”
Halifax Crane Hire operates in the south west region of Western Australia, with depots in Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Bibra Lake, Collie and Greenbushes.
“We find Frannas to be very multifunctional in terms of the tasks we expect them to do. For us, they work really well in the mining sector and in the heavy lift industry, where they are ideal support cranes for mobilising and de-mobilising the larger, ‘heavy lifters’ we have in our fleet. They are also an ideal taxi crane moving from sites during a day conducting multiple lifts,” said Robyn.
“The new AT40-2 takes a significant step up in terms of roadability and we have been very impressed with the new safety features of the new model. Like all crane hire businesses, we are very focused on the wellbeing and safety of our team and the new AT40-2 takes a massive step forward in terms of the inbuilt safety systems,” she said.
Safety also remains an unwavering priority for Franna. The recent series upgrade to the range elevates safety standards by incorporating Franna’s patent-pending Safety Radar as a standard feature.
The Safety Radar system adds an additional layer of protection and awareness over the patented Dynamic LMI system, enabling the operator to plan their next move by viewing a colour contoured visual representation of the rated capacity for the entire working area of the crane. The operator can see the rated capacity of the crane before they move the load, hence well before any traditional rated capacity alarms or motion cuts.
“You’ve got a clear picture on the AT40 with the Safety Radar illustrating green, when you are operating within the designed limitations, yellow when you move from these limitations to red when the operator has taken the crane beyond its designed capabilities.
“There’s no reason for anyone to go out of those boundaries and if they do, well its as a result of human error and is not the manufacturer’s issue,” said Robyn.
Franna’s online Lift Planner has also been upgraded to include all current models – AT22, MAC25 and AT40. This allows precise rated capacity and front axle load calculations to be performed for various crane configurations and uneven ground conditions.
With last year’s introduction of new Australian Design Rules (ADR) compliance regulations, Terex Franna has taken the opportunity to incorporate new technology across the entire Franna range. Each model has received upgrades designed to minimise environmental impact and improve operational efficiency.
The upgrades start with the new Mercedes-Benz OM936 Engine Stage V and Tier 4 Final compliant engine for cleaner emissions, ensuring seamless compliance with evolving environmental regulations.
This technology has been powering European all terrains and other special purpose vehicles for many years. While the technology has been implemented as a result of regulatory compliance requirements, Franna has taken opportunity to improve performance.
The 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 230 kilowatt (kW) and 1300 newton-metres (Nm) respectively. The OM936 boasts a well-established track record, having undergone more than a decade of refinements to achieve exceptional reliability.
Franna’s 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. This collaboration included extensive emission reduction technologies, a power increase and finetuning of the gearbox providing optimal performance within the demanding environment of pick and carry cranes.
The OM936 engine is also fully compatible with HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) diesel fuels, enabling a reduction in carbon emissions by up to 85 per cent.
In addition, the OM936 is fitted with a ‘Jacobs’ style exhaust brake, giving effectively double the retardation over the existing OM906 engine. Franna selected the engine exhaust brake option rather than a transmission retarder as it has the advantage of providing additional retardation through every gear of the transmission selection.
The innovative design of the OM936 engine cooling system has been engineered to achieve a Limiting Ambient Temperature close to 50 degrees Celsius. This was accomplished by incorporating an additional extraction fan into the cooling pack, ensuring the engine maintains optimal performance even in the most demanding environmental conditions.
Limiting Ambient Temperature refers to the highest ambient temperature at which the vehicle’s cooling system can effectively manage the engine’s heat output while allowing the engine to continuously operate at full power.
Achieving a high Limiting Ambient Temperature is crucial for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of the engine.
A rigorous testing process validated the cooling system’s capability, ensuring that the OM936 engine can deliver consistent performance under full load, even in ambient temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius. This breakthrough not only enhances the engine’s durability and reliability but also positions it as a leading choice for operators working in challenging environments where high temperatures are a critical factor.
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.
“Emissions is an increasingly important issue for our clients in the mining and renewables sectors as well as Tier One projects. The low emission Franna AT40-2 demonstrates how important our business is taking the reduction of our carbon footprint as we continue to invest in low emission technology,” said Robyn.
“Our operators really like the Frannas, they are very comfortable with them, having driven them for many years. As a business, we have found there is ‘no used by date’ with Frannas. We’ve still got the original motor in the 15 tonner we brought all those years ago and the service and parts availability from Franna has been exceptional.
“The new AT40-2 is an intelligent piece of equipment and the training for our crews was very important. Robin Ghosh, Crane Sales Manager at Terex Franna, went above and beyond during the sales and delivery processes as well as the training during the handover process.
“I don’t think any other supplier can match the levels of service and support that we receive from Terex Franna,”
she said.