Kato and Century Cranes

CENTURY RETURN TO KATO CITY CRANES

Cairns-based crane hire business Century Cranes recently took delivery of the two new KATO city cranes – a 13t capacity CR-130Rf and a 20t capacity CR-200Rf.

CENTURY CRANES HAVE BEEN OPERATING

Kato city cranes for some time, and the new cranes are the result of the business increasing its capabilities and customer demand for this type of crane, explained general manager Bianca Wilson.

“Century Cranes is a family business and has been for over 40 years. It was started by my now-retired uncle, Mel Yelaska, and today my husband, Scott, and I run the business. We are based in Cairns, and we obviously service the local and regional markets, but we also have had cranes on dry hire operating across the country and even in Papua New Guinea.

“We are a general hire company, which means our clients are anyone who needs a lift. We have strong relationships with Tier One builders and contractors, and we are involved with numerous large construction and

Century Cranes recently took delivery of a new 13t capacity Kato city crane, model CR-130Rf and a 20t capacity CR-200Rf city crane. “We are a general hire company, which means our clients are anyone who needs a lift. We have strong relationships with Tier One builders and contractors, and we are involved with numerous large construction and infrastructure projects.”

The 13t capacity CR-130Rf features a 24m, six section boom with a two stage, 3.6m to 5.5m hydraulic luffing jib and the CR-200Rf features a 28m, six-section boom with a 5.8m telescopic jib, as well as a 5t capacity searcher hook.

infrastructure projects. But we also cater to the smaller residential builders and private jobs where a pool or spa might need to be installed. We are a general hire crane company and Century Cranes will go where the work is,” said Wilson.

Wilson moved on to discuss the capabilities of the Century Cranes fleet and how the Kato city cranes are part of the planned expansion.

“Our fleet of cranes range from 2.9t to 250t. Our policy for purchasing cranes for our fleet is based on the needs and demands of our clients. We also might have to factor in that we may or may not be guilty of purchasing based on our love for a particular machine and brand.

“We currently run nine Frannas, including an AT40t, five Katos, four Demags and four Liebherrs, and a baby Unic mini crawler crane.

Our most recent additions to the fleet include a 60t Liebherr, a 120t Liebherr, and we have a 230t Liebherr on the way.

Wilson explained more about the purchase of the new Kato city cranes and where they fit into the capabilities of the Century Cranes fleet.

“We recently took delivery of a new 13t capacity Kato city crane, model

CR-130Rf, and a 20t capacity CR-200Rf city crane. We have had Kato city cranes in the fleet for a while as well as two 20t Kato rough terrains. As far as the new city cranes are concerned, we’ve been impressed with their performance – they are compact machines and easy for the lads to operate,” she said.

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 has a 13t maximum lifting capacity and the CR200Rf features a 28m, six-section boom with a 5.8m telescopic jib, as well as a 5t capacity searcher hook.

Peter Lawgall, Tutt Bryant Equipment’s business development manager, Cranes, had this to say.

“We are delighted to supply Century Cranes Hire with more Kato city cranes. They have always been a pleasure to work with and it continues a strong demand for the Kato city cranes right around the country. We are supplying increasing numbers to the local market and demand continues to be high,” he said.

Enhancements to the CR-130RF and CR-200RF models include: 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 to both models.

“Kato is a collaborative crane manufacturer and many of the enhancements and features of new models have been as a direct result of feedback between Kato engineers, local customers, and customers in key markets right around the globe,” said Lawgall.

Wilson went on to discuss the reasons Century Cranes continue to purchase Kato city cranes and why the operators enjoy working with the machines.

“So, we recently added two new Kato city cranes, which means we have two 13t capacity Katos, two 20t Kato rough terrains, and now the 20t capacity CR200Rf. As I’ve said, the operators like the compact nature of the machines, they are highly manoeuvrable and easy to operate.

“They are really good all rounders and ideal for truss work and light structural steel projects. They can get onto sites which have tight tolerances and complete lifts other cranes simply can’t. The cabs in the Katos provide excellent visibility for the operators and they also have excellent lift charts, which is important,” said Wilson.

“We’ve worked with the Tutt Bryant Equipment team for many years now and we always find them easy to deal with. With the new cranes, they actually had them in stock at the time we enquired with Peter Lawgall, so was it was a real bonus to be able to access the machines immediately.

“Tutt Bryant Equipment support their cranes well and we work with Ben Marczak in terms of service and support. With these being brand new machines we haven’t really had to reach out to Ben as yet. So far, so good,” said Wilson.

Enhancements to the CR-130RF and CR-200RF models include: increased maximum road speed; searcher hooks; completely redesigned operator cabins; an automatic outrigger levelling system; and new green-efficient Stage IV engines.

“Kato is a collaborative crane manufacturer and many of the enhancements and features of new models have been as a direct result of feedback between Kato engineers, local customers and customers in key markets right around the globe.”