TIDD Lifting With Tenacity

Gold Coast’s Tenacity Cranes recently took delivery of a TIDD PC28-2 and a set of TRT Crane Pads. Santino Silvestro, Director of Tenacity Cranes, elaborates on the background to the purchases. 

“Like most crane businesses we have been operating the Franna brand of pick and carry in our fleet. We had a 20t Franna in our fleet, and we were looking to purchase a 25t capacity pick and carry crane as well. We were looking at the second-hand market and also considering purchasing a new crane,” said Santino.

“To keep our fleet current and modern I have been replacing our older City Cranes with new Tadano City Cranes, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do with the pick and carry cranes, replace the older models into new ones.

“We conducted our due diligence and looked at the different pick and carry brands. We looked at the Humma, the TIDD, and obviously Franna. The reason we started leaning towards the TIDD was as a result of their manufacturing processes. Everything takes place under the one roof in Hamilton, raw steel goes in one door and rolling stock, including the TIDD, exits the other,” he said.

Tenacity Cranes conducted a period of due diligence and looked at the different pick and carry brands before choosing the TIDD.

“We are aware that with other brands, the components are manufactured in China and the cranes are then assembled in Australia. I was concerned that the build quality may not be as good as the older model we have and that’s why we started looking at the TIDD. I hadn’t operated one, so I called TRT Australia, and they gave us one to put through its paces, which we did.

“We were in a PC28-2 and the first thing that struck me was the width of the crane. It’s the same width as the 20t Franna, it also articulated more. Frannas are about 40° - and it went out to 44°, which surprised and impressed me. We were operating the crane in the yard so it was a relatively controlled environment, but I was pleasantly surprised,” Santino said.

TRT offered to take Santino to the factory, to learn more about the TIDD pick and carry and TRT’s design, engineering and manufacturing processes.

“We flew over for a tour of the factory and after seeing how the TIDD is built and the work that goes into them, you can’t help but be impressed. We do a lot of work with Main Roads – one of the key factors for them with pick and carry cranes is safety, so the Slew Safe system is pretty key on Main Road projects,” he said.

Leading from the front, the latest iteration of the TIDD PC28-3G crane has been making waves in the industry, thanks to its significant advancements and the positive feedback from customers like Tenacity Cranes. The new model boasts several key improvements that enhance performance, safety, and operator comfort.

Tenacity Cranes is impressed with the amount of hours that go into the manufacturing of TRT crane pads.

TOP IMPROVEMENTS OF THE TIDD PC28-3G

Powerful Engine:

The crane now features the Cummins ISB 6.7 319 horsepower (238kW) engine, which has led to substantial performance and handling advancements. Operators have noted the increased power and efficiency, which they say makes heavy lifting tasks more manageable.

Advanced Transmission:

The Allison transmission, renowned for its reliability and performance, is now paired with the Allison transmission retarder. This combination is a game-changer, offering significantly improved braking, reducing wear and tear and ensuring safer hill descents with better control.

Quieter Operation:

Thanks to advancements in the driveline and design, the TIDD PC28-3G operates more quietly than its predecessors. This improvement enhances operator comfort, allowing for a more pleasant working environment.

Enhanced Safety Features:

The holding brake, once engaged, neutralises the transmission to prevent damage and ensure the brake is never driven through. This safety enhancement provides operators with peace of mind during operation.

Commitment to Innovation:

TRT remains dedicated to meeting all new ADRs and continuously leading the industry in innovation, the company says.

Tyre Pressure Management:

TRT’s patented Traction Air System provides a management system for tyre pressure, allowing it to increase or deflate to ensure optimal pressure of 130 PSI is maintained – ensuring safety during lifts and reducing wear and tear on tyres.

The Traction Air System, initially designed for logging equipment, is currently an option, but one which TRT says is becoming more widely taken up as worksites implement more and more safety requirements.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:

Tenacity Cranes has been particularly impressed with the new TIDD PC28-3G. Its operations team highlighted the crane’s excellent drivability and performance, noting the significant horsepower and exceptional braking capabilities provided by the retarder. The controls and lifting ability continue to shine, reaffirming TRT’s position as an industry leader in the manufacturing of high-quality pick and carry cranes.

“TRT has engineered a ROPS system in the TIDD, which no other pick and carry has. Having that rollover protection and with the cab tested and certified, it’s a really important safety feature for our personnel operating the TIDD. The way the machine is built, the quality of the steel TRT uses and the fact it’s all put together in New Zealand, is what we loved most,” said Santino.

The TIDD has been operating well and the response from the operators has been excellent, he adds.

“The TIDD has been performing well. It’s different to a Franna and it took a while for the operators to get used to driving and operating the crane, but once they got used to it we found that they preferred it, and now my guys love it.

“They love the way they travel on the road and say it is way smoother than a Franna, far quieter and more comfortable to be in. I guess all pick and carry crane have their pros and cons on site, but the TIDD does everything we need it to do, and we have no complaints whatsoever.

There hasn’t been a job that we’ve sent the TIDD to that it couldn’t manage. We can see it is going to be a well utilised asset,” said Santino.

He goes on to discuss his relationship with the team at TRT Australia including Neil Webb, Brendan ‘Cookie’ Cook and Troy Hand.

“The TRT team including Neil, Troy and Cookie are excellent to deal with. With all three of them, nothing’s ever a problem. When there have been niggling little issues, any little thing, any questions, training, anything associated with the machine, they’ve actioned straight away. “Their product support has been really good. When I’ve asked them to send someone down to look at an issue, they’ve had someone here within a couple of hours,” he said.

“With new machines people think that because they are buying a new machine, it’s going to work perfectly from day one. Sometimes you do get that, but on occasion you do have some minor issues, even though they’ve had their pre-delivery checks, after the first hundred hours, they still need going over, and checking.

“You might have little gremlins and for anything that’s happened like that with any of my new machines, it’s actioned straight away, and we’re back working pretty fast. I’ve got no complaints with the TRT guys or the TIDD. If I did, I would be saying it openly too, don’t you worry!”

Santino was also in the market for crane pads which would work with the latest addition to the Tenacity Crane fleet, a 80t capacity Tadano AC4.80-1.

“Knowing the 80 was coming, I was looking for different crane pads. I knew the TRT pads were quite expensive compared to others, but I wanted to see how they are manufactured.

“Seeing the man hours that go into manufacturing the pads and seeing the quality of the build, how light weight they were in comparison to the competitors, but still super strong, it was a no-brainer for me. I pretty much had bought a set before we’d even left New Zealand,” said Santino.

“I could see how much work goes into the pads and that sealed the deal for me. The cutting of the steel, the robotic welding, the robotic technology TRT has invested in is impressive. You couldn’t make a set of pads with the quality of the material they use and a boiler maker working on it, it’d blow out the budget.

“A key factor for us is the weight of the pads. Our support truck for the 80t Tadano has a 10.5t capacity. Our counterweight come in at 8.4t, so we needed four pads that were under two tonnes.

“The pads come in at 461kg each. So, we can run our truck with counterweight and pads, and still be under our load limit. This was another key reason why we jumped on the TRT pads, they are light but super strong,” said Santino.