HIAB’s Variable Stability Limit i.e. the VSL-V system complete with analog sensors has made it a popular option for transportation companies. HIAB equipment is generally chosen by transport companies like Jansson & Frank Transport AB due to a number of advanced features for speed and precision. With the VSL-V, HIAB trucks and cranes now boast extra stability. The system is designed to ensure that the truck does not tip over during operations.

The VSL-V manages to keep the truck stable while maximizing the outreach and lifting capacity of the crane. The system is capable of sensing exactly how far the stabilizer legs are spread and also assists the crane to handle heavy loads in restricted spaces. These stabilizing extensions have in-built sensors that keep track of the movement and position of the truck and the additional pressure sensors detect the amount of pressure inflicted on the stabilizer legs.

The European Union machinery directive states that vehicles should have up-to-date security and disconnecting these systems is considered illegal. However with the VSL-V, the integrated system gets rid of all security concerns raised by the EU. The VSL-V system is a helpful addition whether you are hauling heavy machinery or transporting construction equipment.

The VSL-V helps prevent accidents in numerous situations. If the operator is unable to see the exact position of the vehicle, the remote control of the VSL-V pinpoints the accurate position of the stabilizer legs and the corresponding lifting capacity. Additionally, the VSL-V system takes charge if the operator is distracted and forgets to leave out the stabilizers or lower the crane when necessary.

 

 

Understanding the dependence of hard working professionals in the materials handling sector, HIAB have continued to achieve new successes, with stories pouring in from all parts of the world. The latest HIAB Method magazine chronicles the numerous achievements made by HIAB with customers in various industries.

One of the biggest achievements by HIAB this year includes their global expansion, opening new offices in Japan and receiving large orders from Mexico. HIAB has also been helpful in loading and hauling live poultry and played an important role in deep sea research in Australia. Advanced technologies like the VSL-V give HIAB cranes an edge over other equipment with extra stability and better functionalities. Analog sensors to measure the position and pressure of the crane keep the operators safe and stable.

Electric truck mounted forklifts from Moffett continue to impress with energy efficient and cost efficient features. The low costs of operations paired with the almost zero exhaust emission from the forklifts make Moffett a pocket friendly and environment friendly option. The flourishing construction industry of Oman has received great support from HIAB’s loading equipment with its innovation in design and expansion in the range of features.

Small and medium businesses in Chile and France have received a major boost in the past few decades with transportation of furniture, antiques and other heavy equipment. Many companies in different parts of the world have expanded from a single HIAB truck to a fleet of several hundred loader cranes. Successes of Grua-Cor and the Guisnel Group have made HIAB a popular choice for handling cargo and heavy loads.

 

 

HIAB’s Mobile Elevating Work Platform or MEWP has found immense popularity in Swedish cities like Orebro, with local technical departments regularly using the setup for maintenance works in the city. Located a few hours from the Swedish capital Stockholm, the city is showing great interest in HIAB cranes fitted with personnel baskets. Orebro’s technical department makes use of a HIAB HiPro as well as the MEWP to carry out tasks in construction sites and city parks.

Apart from setting up signs, the city makes use of the MEWP for a variety of other jobs as it provides safety and flexibility. When attached to HIAB XS cranes, the Mobile Elevating Work Platform provides an outreach of up to 20 meters, allowing workers to carry out maintenance jobs at such heights. Through constant innovation, the MEWP setup can now be used to carry out functions like installing power lines, glass windows and streetlights.

The crane and the personnel basket from HIAB are compliant with the safety standards established by EN 12999 and EN 280. The HIAB HiPro continues functioning like a regular crane and when in MEWP mode, its features are slightly adjusted for safety and functionality. When the personnel basket is attached, the maximum vertical speed of the crane is reduced according to the recommended standards of the EN 280 i.e. 0.4 meters/second.

HIAB’s design and innovation used in the MEWP is centered on safety. The crane is designed to level the basket at all times while providing extra protection with external safety rails, multiple speed controls, emergency buttons, back-up batteries and chargers.

 

 

I was scanning the Web and noticed a small blog article where a customer was talking about using his crane for tree services. What surprised me wasn’t the fact that the crane worked so well, but that he nonchalantly talked about the HIAB 650, a crane that is at least 30 years old! Few cranes have been as popular around the world as the HIAB 650 . When it is fully extended, the crane can easily lift more than a tonne, carrying an impressive load of wood at a time. Although there have been larger cranes with the ability to pick up 10 times that weight, they cannot get into confined spaces like the HIAB 650.

This HIAB 650 is being used by Simcoe Muskoka Tree Services.

The HIAB 650 continues to be one of the most popular used cranes owing to its durability. Although the crane is no longer under production, the older models continue to provide years of services without losing out on quality. The HIAB 650 can be operated at different outreach levels from 1.7 meters to 5 meters. At the minimum outreach of 1.7 meters, the HIAB 650 can lift an impressive 3,500 kg and at full outreach, this crane can lift about 1,200 kg. And to top it all off, Atlas Polar still services the HIAB 650 model crane and has parts stock.

 

 

The introduction of personnel baskets for HIAB cranes has changed the way this equipment is used at work sites. HIAB’s MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform) allows operators to climb in and safely perform manual tasks like repairs. The MEWP can be attached to any HiPro crane from HIAB. The latest brochure from Atlas Polar focuses on various aspects surrounding the elevated work system.

Safety standards for such elevated platforms are governed by strict rules. Currently, the European standard EN 280 demands high safety requirements on the basket as well as the crane. Given HIAB’s priority for safety, they adhere to all the safety standards strictly. The crane provides stability and protection while handling a range of materials from heavy construction materials to sand, gravel and soil.

HIAB’s XS MEWP comes with a number of safety features like automatic horizontal leveling of the personnel basket, external safety rails, rotational and vertical speed controls, as well as backup battery and chargers loaded in the basket. In events of unexpected power loss, the XS MEWP is equipped with emergency lowering facilities. To maximize ground contact and ensure stability, MEWP is held by swiveling support plates. The personnel basket is also fitted with an emergency stop button.

Valuing the need for productivity and flexibility, HIAB focuses on simplicity in design as well as use. After the personnel basket is mounted atop the crane, it can be used by making a simple switch to the MEWP mode. The personnel basket enables operators to perform manual tasks at high altitudes like bridge inspections, trimming trees or maintenance and repair work.

 

 

Herman Brood, the Dutch artist was invited by Cargotec in 2000 at the RAI exhibition, to paint a HIAB loader crane. At the RAI exhibition that took place this year, on the 20th of April, the same HIAB 102 crane was auctioned to fund money for War Child, an independent charitable organization.

Cargotec Netherlands’ Marketing Manager Paulo Cardoso stated that the HIAB 102 painted by Herman Brood was going back to Amsterdam – the same city in which it was created. He also shared his happiness by saying that they couldn’t have hoped for a location better than Amsterdam for the crane, and that a staggering figure of 11,750 Euros would be transferred to the humanitarian organization.

One of the departments of Amsterdam, Afvalservice West stole the show with its bids, beating all others in the active auction at the RAI exhibition. Afvalservice West, a department in the city of Amsterdam, worked closely with the city’s department for culture and the goal is to feature the crane for display at Stedelijk Museum – the City museum of Amsterdam.

The late Herman Brood, a multi-talented artist, musician and painter, was among the most popular residents of the city of Amsterdam. Lola Brood – his daughter, in attendance at the auction, stated that her father’s long-time wish to have his work displayed in Amsterdam’s masterly museums is now a reality.

Paulo Cardoso said that their goal of having a positive influence on community and humanity has been met. He assured that the public will be able to enjoy a fine piece of art, and that the money will be put to good use by War Child. He also took time to thank Troostwijk Auctions for their efforts in contributing to help achieve the outcome.

2000′s RAI exhibition saw Cargotec taking the artistic route to support an important charitable cause by having a HIAB loader crane transformed into a pop-art piece. Famous Dutch artist Herman Brood was invited to paint the HIAB 102. This year’s RAI exhibition, scheduled on 17 April – 21 April will have Cargotec auctioning the crane to raise funds for War Child, a humanitarian organization that helps children and youth affected by war.

Brood, who is no longer with us, is a well-known cultural personality in the Netherlands and abroad. His swift and masterful strokes were on full display to an audience of suits, media personalities and exhibition visitors. It was indeed quite a sight as Brood used a ladder, paint rollers and spray painting cans to paint images and text onto the HIAB 102.

Cargotec’s HIAB cargo-handling products are known for their excellent performance and safety. The HIAB 102 holds the distinction of being one of the best-selling loader cranes in the world. A pop-art 102 with Brood’s distinctive style etched on it, makes for an interesting and valuable buy. The most important thing to note is that the proceeds from the sale of the crane will be given to an independent charity that offers psychological counseling and help to young victims of armed conflict.

Cargotec takes corporate social responsibility very seriously, and this upcoming auction is one way in which it is doing its bit for the community. The auction will be held at Cargotec’s stand at the RAI exhibition, on Friday April 20 at 17.00 hrs

 

 

If you already know that present-day HIAB cranes have been used for animal-rescue operations, this blast from the past won’t come as a big surprise to you: the HIAB 174 Speedloader was used to feed wild beasts in a Swedish zoo. Yes, even forty years ago, HIAB cranes came to the aid of animals, and not just the pet kind, but bona fide wild African animals! Amusingly, the Speedloader used for this purpose went by the name of ‘Elefant’.

Elefant was mainly used for the zoo’s transportation tasks. Clearly, the crane’s more interesting job was delivering elephants, giraffes, rhinos and zebras their meals for the day. Exciting afternoons for truckers and a good dining experience for the beasts!

The HIAB 174 Speedloader was well-known for its far reach and flexibility. It was commonly used to hoist roofs in many parts of Europe as well as North America. The Hiab 174 Speedloader was more compact than bulky building cranes while offering the same reach. The extensions built into the 174 Speedloader allowed it to lift weights upto heights of eleven meters, almost four floors high. It is the same lightweight mechanism that allowed Swedish truckers to feed large animals like elephants and giraffes safely.

The Hiab 174 Speedloader’s sleek design was also useful for other activities like pouring concrete into pipes and laying them in position. With great heating systems, power steering and a swiveling driver seat, truckers were at ease when handling the Hiab 174 Speedloader for lifting heavy objects, transporting loads or simply feeding grass to zoo residents.

Read more about HIAB 174 Speedloader used to feed the animals in a Swedish zoo.

 

 

Looking back over 40 years ago, there were initiatives by the Western Geophysical Company to find oil off the US west coast. And, of course, the efforts were supported by HIAB, with HIAB loaders becoming an integral part of this process.

What does the oil exploration job entail? Back in the Sixties, it started with studies of the geology of the seabed with the help of a survey vessel. Known as the Dantzler Spruce, this survey vessel studied the features of the seabed using different methods including shooting powerful sound waves into the surface of the ocean, a method similar to SONAR. These sound waves are reflected back from the various layers of the seabed and recorded by the sensitive equipment aboard the vessel.

These sensitive recordings provided geologists with an approximation of what the seabed is comprised of. The readings also indicate the possibilities of finding oil beneath the seabed, under the numerous layers of earth.

Two HIAB loaders accompanied the Dantzler Spruce. One of the loaders included the HIAB Titan that lifts heavy cannons used to fire sound waves into the ocean. These heavyweight cannons weigh almost four tons and are loaded in two wells aboard the vessel. Licensed under HIAB Italy, Titan can easily reach both wells on the Dantzler Spruce to switch cannons. When the vessel is docked, HIAB Titan is used to hoist equipment on and off the vessel.

The HIAB 174 Speedloader was used to lift delicate and sensitive equipment that was generally towed behind the vessel. Owing to its flexibility and expansive reach, the 174 Speedloader could clutch and lift delicate instruments away from the ship without risking any damage.

Read more about the HIAB Loaders used in Undersea Oil Prospects.

 

 

Can you imagine a time when loading and unloading was done only by hand? Before cranes, workers had to rely only on their strength and makeshift arrangements like planks to discharge loads. HIAB METHOD looked back at the good ‘ol days with Enstaberga Cementgjuteri, a pre-cast concrete works in Stockholm, started by brothers Georg and Sivert Karlsson in 1945.

Enstaberga truck driver Rune Eriksson spoke about the difficulty experienced in loading and unloading bigger pipes. The concrete pipes had to be rolled off by many workers. They were eased down using ropes tied to the front wall of the truck’s deck. Rolling them off one by one involved tipping the desk, but this had to be done carefully so that the pipes didn’t fall on top of each other and break.

This tiring loading and unloading work by hand became a thing of the past once the HIAB Model 193 wire-rope crane was purchased by the company. It brought down the workload and the requirement for many hands for the job. But with the free-slewing jib, the unloading task had to be done carefully as the load would swing to and fro, and more so when the truck was not standing perfectly level. The solution to this problem came in the form of the 173 Speedloader. When mounted on the truck, it could unload almost a ton at a time.

Even better is the new rotator-equipped 174 Speedloader, says Eriksson. The rotator keeps the load from twisting during the lift. Positioning the pipes exactly and laying up high pipes is also easier with the hydraulic extension. Rune Eriksson says that he can deliver thrice as many pipes a day as he could previous to the 174.

Take a look at the HIAB Method Magazine No. 8 from 1967.