New Kobelco for Fitzgerald Constructions

5 minutes read from Cranes & Lifting.

For more than 30 years, Fitzgerald Constructions has been providing civil engineering and concrete construction services to numerous industry sectors, including bridge construction, building construction, civil construction and infrastructure, marine construction transport and remedial concrete. 

Fitzgerald Constructions recently took delivery of a brand new Kobelco CKS2500 from TRT. Fitzgerald’s Plant Supervisor, Paul Wood, has been with the organisation for 25 years and he explains more.

“Fitzgerald Constructions is a large civil construction company specialising in projects with a difference. We have a comprehensive crane and marine fleet which includes barges ranging from 10m to 86m in length, and with capacities up to 6000t. Fitzgerald Constructions is equally comfortable taking on land or water-based projects,” said Paul.

“Our ‘machines of choice’ for civil construction projects are our crawler cranes. We have 17 in the fleet with capacities ranging from 110t to 550t. Marine and land piling is a large part of our construction business, and we are heavily involved with Tier One clients offering a unique service which includes our internal design team assisting in every aspect of the project,” he said.

Paul explains why Fitzgerald Constructions chose the new Kobelco. 

“We recently took delivery of the Kobelco CKS2500 and we purchased this model due to its versatility and simplicity making it a great option for general construction works and barge operations. Also, its breakdown and component sizes and weights make it very cost-effective and simple for transport from site to site,” said Paul.

The CKS2500 has a maximum lifting capacity of 250t and a max boom length of 91.4m. This model is part of the S series from Kobelco, which consists of crawler cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 80t to 550t. The S series is designed, upgraded and improved from the customer’s point of view with safety, reliability and efficient operations in mind.

The design of the CKS2500 is based on end-user feedback and real job site experiences. The design makes the model “transportation friendly,” “assembly friendly” and “operator friendly.” Each are essential to fulfill the satisfaction of owners and operators. The features of Kobelco’s S Series are consistent with these key concepts.

The S Series comes with a variety of optional safety support devices, including a counterweight amount detection device that always tell the correct amount of the counterweight. A swing angle detection device prevents over-swinging, while ground-level sensors prevent operations on uneven ground. Machine status is displayed on a new wide monitor in a luxurious operator cabin designed to enhance comfortable operation.

The models have an improved counterweight self-installation mechanism. Counterweights can be stacked up on the ground and installed on the machine by vertical cylinders. Safety and work efficiency have been greatly improved. (*Counterweights of 80t and 90t are optional specifications.)

The models can also be adapted for both bucket and lifting applications. The hydraulic circuit can be set to dual-pump flow or single-pump flow so that the circuit can be perfectly adequate for both applications. The newly designed circuit can be switched to choose the best circuit for the job application.

Up until now Fitzgerald Constructions has generally bought second-hand Kobelcos, Paul explains why they have gone for a brand-new model this time. 

“In the past, we have generally purchased second-hand machines, this was partially due to availability at the time and until now, there has been a fairly steady market of decent second-hand units in Australia,” he said.

TRT’s Troy Hand handing over the Kobelco to Paul Wood of Fitzgerald Constructions. Image: TRT

“Moving forward with client requirements and projected future works we have decided now is the right time to start updating the fleet. The Kobelcos have performed fantastically over the years, they have very simple operating systems and very strong chart capacities in their field,” said Paul.

“All this makes them the perfect machine for Marine and Barge works which is a large part of our business. Kobelco provides versatility, comfort and ease of operation and all this adds up to make Kobelco a great machine.

“The operators are of the same opinion, sure there are other brands of cranes out there, but the simplicity and comfort of Kobelcos makes them a great machine to operate,” he said.

Paul has been impressed with the service and support he receives from TRT, the National Distributor for Kobelco. 

“The service and product support from TRT has proven to be excellent over a long period. Aaron & Mikaela do a fantastic job in sourcing and making parts available which is always a priority if a machine is down,” said Paul.

Troy Hand, TRT Australia’s Crane Sales and Pacific Manager, and Paul have known each other for quite some time.

“My relationship with Troy dates back many years now, I knew him long before he started working for TRT. Troy is always available via phone or email if and when additional support is required.

 “Troy’s knowledge of the Kobelco brand would be among the most extensive in the country. He has a long history and association with Kobelco and he knows the product inside and out. It’s great to be able to call him, even out of hours, when I have a problem, and most times he can walk us through the problem and provide a resolution. 

“With Troy’s knowledge and TRT’s commitment to service, support, and parts availability the Kobelco package is very hard to pass on. When you factor in the performance of the Kobelcos, operator acceptance, transportability, and lifting charts you can see why we continue to invest in the brand,” said Paul.

Troy says “It’s always a pleasure delivering a Kobelco. The reliability, simplicity, and value for money that you just can’t go past when purchasing a crawler crane.”