Kirsten Davidson – Titan Equipment, Dave Norriss – Tower Cranes New Zealand, and Chris Irvine – Terex Australia.

Just a few weeks after Tower Cranes New Zealand took possession of its first Terex crane from Titan Equipment, the firm is already impressed with the brand, says director, Julian Oxborough.

“Our new Terex AC 130-5 all terrain crane has fitted into our fleet really well. It has been on site every day since we took possession, working on a multitude of jobs in our hire fleet, and supporting our tower cranes. I‘ve had really good feedback from the boys, who say it is an excellent, well-made crane, which is easy to use. They‘re already ranking it up with the top brands on our fleet. Although it‘s early days, I‘d definitely buy another one.”

Accessibility is one of the most attractive features of the Terex AC 130-5, which is among the most compact cranes in the 130t capacity class. It has a total length of 14.3m, a carrier width of 2.75m and a main boom length of 60m.

The crane has the ability to work in confined spaces without losing lifting capability, and provides a variety of lifting solutions to meet virtually any application. It has excellent manoeuvrability thanks to all-axle steering, independent rear axle steering, and dynamic launch control. This is of particular benefit to Tower Cranes, says Oxborough.

“This flexible, all-wheel drive crane is ideal for the Auckland market, where we have to work in smaller and smaller footprints on our clients‘ sites. It can get into the tight spaces, but still has the grunt required for the job. Most of the cranes we use now are 100 tonnes and above like this one.”

Real-time calculation of lifting capacities is provided by the Terex crane‘s 1C-1 Plus control system, which allows the operator to determine the set up position, and work in a higher capacity range with less counterweight. It features touchscreen operation in the cab, with the system storing all load charts.

Oxborough says Tower Cranes‘ first dealings with Titan Equipment during the purchase process have also been impressive.

“We‘d never dealt with them before, but everything went smoothly. The service from the Titan crew has been great, which is a big decider for me. They‘ll continue to service the crane for us moving forward.”

Given Tower Cranes has an international operation, Oxborough says there are no guarantees the crane will be based in Auckland long term.

“We send our cranes wherever in the world they are needed, which has included Australia, the Pacific Islands, and even Bermuda, where we sent a crane for Team New Zealand during their America‘s Cup campaign. There is a possibility the new Terex crane could end up in Wellington, where we have a new branch starting, or even Queenstown. It would suit both these markets where there is a lot of development going on but space is tight. However nothing has been decided yet.”

Oxborough expects to continue to invest in the Terex brand in the future, and is pleased with the response of his team to the new crane.

“I haven‘t had one negative comment about it, and the boys are really looking after it. I don‘t think they‘ve even taken the plastic off the seat yet.”