Swanson Transport’s PK200002 - In It's Element.

Recently we’d had our PK200002 knuckle-boom crane based on site in Drury for over a month helping install Cardinal Logistics first stage of their new automated pallet racking system designed to rack 10 pallets high.

The installation of the pallet racking had its challenges as it had to be lifted in 5ton sections up to 25 metres high and in 10 metres, inside the warehouse.

The racks were installed in either 2 or 3 sections by constructing each section on the ground then standing it upright before lifting into position. However, when it came to installing the top sections of the racking, the weight, size and clearance between the ceiling and the lower section didn’t leave much room to work with.

The team onsite had started installing the sections with a mobile crane which presented some challenges getting the top sections into place.

After learning about what our PK200002 could offer and the efficiency of a knuckle-boom crane they went from installing 3 sections a day to 6 plus a day,

Safety was another key factor where the knuckle-boom crane has smooth steady controls to be able to stand the frames on the ground before re rigging then smoothly lifting it up into place with precision.

In some areas the clearance between the roof and the racks was as little as 300mm, fortunately the versatility of the knuckle-boom crane allowed it to extend through the gap and into place.

Towards the end of the project the space on the floor became an issue however the team were able to work right up to the exit as the knuckle-boom crane could position itself in the narrow gaps between the installed racking and the wall on the other side, as unlike a standard mobile crane there is no counterbalance that restricts its operation in a confined space.

It was a great opportunity to showcase and utilize our PK200002 knuckle-boom crane on this project.