Get a Quote on a Knuckle Boom Crane

Seeing Atlas Polar and a bevy of HIAB cranes at provincial and national trade shows is a regular occurrence today but how about back in 1967?

The seventh edition of HIAB Method magazine highlights a trade show held in Toronto at which Atlas Polar “put on show a HIAB 174 Speedloader equipped with a 5-h.p. electric motor to supply it with pressurised oil.” The show was attended by about 75,000 people from across North America, who saw the “Boom with Reeeeeach” put through its paces in live demonstrations of the crane’s many capabilities.

You’ll continue to find Atlas Polar at many industry-specific trade shows in landscape, construction, general cartage and more, meeting with customers and suppliers. Today we not only show the full range of HIAB knuckleboom cranes but also the many other products we have to offer: Moffett truck mounted forklifts, Multilift hooklifts, Mixveyor concrete conveyors, and Cleasby roofing conveyors.

Stay tuned to our blog for information about upcoming shows we will be attending.

Get a Quote on a HIAB Crane

Today we take another look back at some of the innovations made by HIAB. This time, we are looking at the second edition of HIAB Method magazine, published in 1966, to see how the long concrete beams that were “increasingly coming into use in present-day building” were transported. (Funny how we take these things for granted now, but it was only a few decades ago that long concrete beams came into popular use.)

Prior to the HIAB Speedloader, there were special cranes at the factory and at the building site designated for loading and unloading building supplies. Drivers would have to wait for these cranes to become available before loading or unloading which caused delays in their work. There were sometimes further inefficiencies at the building site when the piles used in building would be discharged at an unloading site and then have to be shifted by crane to the piledriver itself.

As you can see from the pictures on page 7 of the attached PDF of the magazine, the HIAB 173 Speedloader enabled drivers to load and unload concrete beams and piles themselves, without having to wait for the special cranes. They could also do their unloading right near the piledriver to save time and improve efficiency.

The aerial shot of the truck shows just how innovative the HIAB crane was—its foot was countersunk below the deck of the truck to provide more space on the deck—a truly novel approach at the time.

HIAB is still an innovator. To see the latest in truck mounted cranes, check the models of truck cranes on our site.

Cleasby conveyors are designed to make light work of rooftop deliveries. Their heavy-duty design makes them ideally suited to moving materials of all kinds – tiles, shingles, sheet rock, plywood and deck slabs.

Atlas Polar distributes the Advanced FBR Series of fiberglass conveyors. Fiberglass is a non-conductive material that makes it much safer for working around power lines. With a fiberglass frame and non-conductive hydraulic lines and belt, the Cleasby FBR Series greatly reduces the chance of electrocution if the conveyor comes into contact with a power line.

In addition to safety considerations, Cleasby fiberglass conveyors offer more flexibility and durability – unlike metal, fiberglass won’t dent on impact from heavy materials. Because fiberglass is lighter than metal, the wear and tear on the conveyor’s turntable is reduced, resulting in longer life for the whole unit.

To learn more about the benefits of the Cleasby conveyor and its fiberglass construction, visit our Website and download the Cleasby conveyor brochure.