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HIGH FLYING LOADER
00:00 25 May 1995
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When people see the Palfinger PK 680 TK, the first question that
the salesperson is invariably asked is whether it is still a lorry
loader or a crane. The answer of course is that it is both. There
cannot be too many 'lorry loaders' that offer a maximum working
height of 46.0m, an outreach of 31.5m with hydraulics, or 42.0m
with manual extensions and lift capacity up to 10.0t.
Impressive performance, but what will make plenty of people look again at the specification is the fact that the unit is street legal on a completely standard six wheeler chassis.
How do they do that? 'Only Palfinger knows all the answers to that question,' said Bob Akerman of TH White of Devizes.
'This company has been actively involved with lorry loaders and timber cranes for more than 22 years and the last 10 have been with Epsilon, now owned by Palfinger.
'Their design and technology in hydraulics, stressing and the use of alloys is just light years ahead and for that reason, they are now probably the world's largest manufacturer of lorry loaders. I say probably, because nobody really knows the answer, but if they are not first, then they are a very close second,' said Akerman.
With hindsight of SED where the machine was launched, Akerman said: 'We anticipated there would be plenty of interest, but to be honest, we did not know how the split between hirers, contractors, utilities and others would break down. We had many more people than we ever expected come onto our stand at SED to look at the PK 680 TK and as it turned out, the preponderance were from the plant hire and crane specialist sectors. Civil engineering contractors, house and commercial builders and steel erectors ran a close third as far as numbers were concerned.
'The follow up interest from a number of companies has been more than just interesting and I think the first couple of sales are literally just around the corner,' added Akerman.
'The Palfinger is unique for a number or reasons. It is the only machine I know with such a big working and performance envelope that can be mounted on a standard six wheeler chassis. That gives enormous versatility and benefits to users. Folded up for transport, the rig is completely street legal and remember, the prime mover does not have to be new or hugely modified structurally to accept the crane. After arrival on site, it usually takes well under 15 minutes for the unit to be ready to go to work.
'Because of its compact dimensions, and the way the boom unfolds, the machine can work in confined areas,' said Akerman. Just how tight is shown on a Palfinger video where the machine is positioned in an alley barely wider than the vehicle, loading roof joists. In fact the space is so tight that as the machine slews, the counterweight arcs through the doorway of a house.
Another advantage is that the operator can control the machine from the seat or cab, or remotely via a plug in panel and then stand where he has the best overall view.
Palfinger has now sold over 50 units in a number of European countries and says market research showed the need for a machine with the PK 680s performance.
Systems builders were the first to express immediate interest. As long as the unit had the capacity to lift and place concrete panels on medium rise buildings, the complete unit was able to travel at normal road speeds without special licences and finally, could be set up and operated by one person.
Palfinger's Hebetechnik (special products) division came up with the 680 and claims there was no real magic, except the use of one of the most powerful CAD/CAM systems in Europe, in the design.
Palfinger became a bit of a pariah in industry terms when it chose to upgrade every one - from the smallest to the largest - of its lorry loaders to Group B3 specifications. Previously it, and most of the industry built units to B2 ratings.
The difference is significant to say the least. B3 is three times more stringent than B2 and requires that machines be put through 200,000 average load test cycles/60,000 full load cycles. In real life site conditions, that equates to 100 lifts per day for 10 years. B4, which is applied to cranes used in forestry is three times more rigorous than B3.
Impressive performance, but what will make plenty of people look again at the specification is the fact that the unit is street legal on a completely standard six wheeler chassis.
How do they do that? 'Only Palfinger knows all the answers to that question,' said Bob Akerman of TH White of Devizes.
'This company has been actively involved with lorry loaders and timber cranes for more than 22 years and the last 10 have been with Epsilon, now owned by Palfinger.
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'Their design and technology in hydraulics, stressing and the use of alloys is just light years ahead and for that reason, they are now probably the world's largest manufacturer of lorry loaders. I say probably, because nobody really knows the answer, but if they are not first, then they are a very close second,' said Akerman.
With hindsight of SED where the machine was launched, Akerman said: 'We anticipated there would be plenty of interest, but to be honest, we did not know how the split between hirers, contractors, utilities and others would break down. We had many more people than we ever expected come onto our stand at SED to look at the PK 680 TK and as it turned out, the preponderance were from the plant hire and crane specialist sectors. Civil engineering contractors, house and commercial builders and steel erectors ran a close third as far as numbers were concerned.
'The follow up interest from a number of companies has been more than just interesting and I think the first couple of sales are literally just around the corner,' added Akerman.
'The Palfinger is unique for a number or reasons. It is the only machine I know with such a big working and performance envelope that can be mounted on a standard six wheeler chassis. That gives enormous versatility and benefits to users. Folded up for transport, the rig is completely street legal and remember, the prime mover does not have to be new or hugely modified structurally to accept the crane. After arrival on site, it usually takes well under 15 minutes for the unit to be ready to go to work.
'Because of its compact dimensions, and the way the boom unfolds, the machine can work in confined areas,' said Akerman. Just how tight is shown on a Palfinger video where the machine is positioned in an alley barely wider than the vehicle, loading roof joists. In fact the space is so tight that as the machine slews, the counterweight arcs through the doorway of a house.
Another advantage is that the operator can control the machine from the seat or cab, or remotely via a plug in panel and then stand where he has the best overall view.
Palfinger has now sold over 50 units in a number of European countries and says market research showed the need for a machine with the PK 680s performance.
Systems builders were the first to express immediate interest. As long as the unit had the capacity to lift and place concrete panels on medium rise buildings, the complete unit was able to travel at normal road speeds without special licences and finally, could be set up and operated by one person.
Palfinger's Hebetechnik (special products) division came up with the 680 and claims there was no real magic, except the use of one of the most powerful CAD/CAM systems in Europe, in the design.
Palfinger became a bit of a pariah in industry terms when it chose to upgrade every one - from the smallest to the largest - of its lorry loaders to Group B3 specifications. Previously it, and most of the industry built units to B2 ratings.
The difference is significant to say the least. B3 is three times more stringent than B2 and requires that machines be put through 200,000 average load test cycles/60,000 full load cycles. In real life site conditions, that equates to 100 lifts per day for 10 years. B4, which is applied to cranes used in forestry is three times more rigorous than B3.
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