The Crane Gang - on TV

John
Watch out in 2014 they are filming some more episodes to do with our industry.
Captain Hook , Webb Designs , Does my Ballast Look Big in This. For a Few Shackles More ( one for the cowboys ) apparently after the watershed there are two programmes 1 Kurb Crawlers with a section of never seen before on TV Spragging on sites !! And has any one Seen my SNATCH Block
It's all good if we didn't enjoy it we wouldn't do it so chill

I watched it and enjoyed it! I didn’t totally agree with all the claims, facts or everything I saw, but it’s still just crane porn for those of us addicted to cranes. It had one of the fugliest characters I ever saw on the show, but I still enjoyed the one hour episode and will watch the all others too.

There is a method of dealing with this program that I have adopted. This method stops and anger at it, any outrage or high blood pressure caused by it.

Quite simply, I don't watch it! I haven't watched either of the episodes so far.

If no one watches it, they wont make it again. If I don't watch it I can't be annoyed by it.

Might be worth a go.

Hi john. I wasn't disagreeing with you but that sometimes is just an excuse for ex crane operators who think that buying a few cranes suddenly makes them business men when it clearly does not. Bean counters are not the problem nowadays it really is too many owners making simple fundimental mistakes g

John
Paul
Not being negative but just like you need to clear the air mate and its one guys opinion

John
Pat Casey don't pick on him he's the Peter Andre of the crane hire in the uk

John
Paul
Please read the first paragraph I said it would be nice to see persons know the difference between a transit and a crane this was directed at persons shown on the programme ie main board directors and when Mr Meads said at Bauma go and see the lads on the front line, which he did and met with Johnny Davies and his new 1750 he was more concerned if the New Transit was fitted out ok.
As for the comment about Crane Men and their respective companies I have been in this industry since 1975 with BCHC and I know all of the companies which you have listed and some I've worked for What I said was as soon as the Bean Counters get involved the rot sets in . Look at the previous Sparrows , BCHC , Scott's, Greenham, JDs they say one every ten years so let's sit back and see what happens .

Dabbs
Pat Casey you do t even get out the van ..... Pull chains about:)

Dabbs
Pat Casey you do t even get out the van ..... Pull chains about:)

Hi john. Please do not get under the illusion that crane companies in the UK are not run by crane people because most of the owners are actually ex crane operators. John sutch. Maurice Sutton, mga north west, king Lifting, Baldwins, Bjw, reeds bray cranes, bryn Thomas, bib Francis, quigley even ainscough has crane operator influence at upper management level.

Its the crane companies own fault if there hire rates are too low. Nobody makes them send the crane out they decide to. It really is basic economics how many crane companies have gone out of business ?? Too many is the honest answer.

John
It would be nice to see a company run by the people who knew what the difference was between a Transit and a Crane all the old companies were run by crane men and as soon as as a bean counter got involved we all know the out come. It must be frustrating not been able to talk a main board member about cranes There was also comments regarding wages don't blame the owners of the equipment blame the hirer we got better rates 10/ 15 years ago it amazes me of the intelligence or lack of the comment The purchasing of the equipment, fuel, interest and bank charges have continued to go thro the roof and the hirer is still paying 1990 rates.

You have to question the logic behind the program by Ainscough, why would you agree to this ??, it has done them no favours just made them look egotistical and arrogant. Does anybody believe Martin Ainscough would have done this when he owned the company, I think the answer would have been no.

Maybe my last comment was taken out of context, it was meant to be constructive, what I was trying to say is that if the job was considered skilled rather than semi skilled then it would attract a greater quality of intelligence because it would pay more.

Let's face it crane operating is underpaid in the UK but when you can get a cpcs card in 10 days what do you expect ??

The problem is that watching a TV program about a well run crane hire company where all the staff are happy and have no issues and always say the right thing at the right time would actually not be that interesting to watch.

Joe Public will watch a crane lift 20 tons over a house and everyone of them will be secretly hoping it ropes snap!! It's human nature, people are not watching this stuff for education purposes. They are watching it instead of Eddie Stobart Lorries or yet another chef making something no one wants to eat.

I don't know the people involved in the TV program. So I am not making personal comments, but I have to wonder if it was a wise thing to do. I certainly don't think they can be judged on the editors cut.

Well said , unfortunately nobody makes the staff say stupid things like going into enemy lines when crossing from England to Scotland which if my memory serves me correctly you said Mr Mayes, to be honest the program should have focused on the industry not ainscough there heads are big enough, you only have to look and listen to the comments that's not edited by TV

My fear is that this program will do the same for the crane industry as Road Wars and Motorway Cops has done for the Police service.

These programs make the police look like a bunch of ego led idiots, very often driving as badly as the people they are needlessly chasing. Whereas in practice the normal everyday Police officer is dedicated to his work and dedicated to looking after the public.

We do not need a TV program that is cut to make good TV making our industry and associated industries look silly.

Tristam, I called it like I saw it in my opinion/thoughts of the show and the characters after I watched the full episode. Read into that what you will. I never once heard you offer an “I’m sorry' for anything you said about anyone else, so expect none from me. We’ll both carry on doing what we do, despite what the other thinks anyway. Thanks again for the link.

Tmayes
PJC Julien works for Demag, john still here and Pritchard has left.

I think that's a reply from him but not from me, last time I looked Julian Dyer still worked at ainscough and so does john Lowton and the turners are still involved in a subsidiary. The problem isn't just at ainscough it's all the crane companies, you are all just too cheap. The same crane operators in the US are earning 3 times as much for driving the same cranes because their companies charge 3 times as much it's basic economics and ainscough as so called uk market leaders should be setting a good example unfortunately to many people at ainscough think they are the biggest and best when they clearly are just the best of a bad bunch just more arrogant with nothing to be actually proud of

Tmayes
So shall I take that as a sorry from you Ray for calling me unprofessional and have no business in a crane cab??

Correction, the higher side......., my bad.

Alrighty now. First I want to thank you personally Tristam for the link! It didn’t work on a Yahoo search, but did on google, so I sat thru the whole show. I was impressed with all the lifts, the nice cranes and the job done by all the operators, including Tristam. I really like the nice head quarters yard, the way the gang members all got along, and the tip mounted crane cameras too. I hope that someone will send a link for each episode so I can watch them all! My few criticisms of the content was that even tho Tristam was able to get the big dog out of his office for a visit onsite, the manager himself never got a glove on, nor slept one night in the van. It’s just the way they run their company I guess. Our operators, truck drivers and mechanics NEVER sleep anywhere but at home or at nice hotel. My boss, who is the owner of the company has for years been working side by side with us more times than can be counted, in the field, day and night, rain and shine, heat or sub freezing. He rigs and does as much of the hard, dirty and physical bull work as anyone else, and can do all that our rigging crews do. The other thing is I would have shored up under the lower side of the second rail car, to limit how far it could have rolled thru the chains, to protect the rigging and crane too. Over all I really enjoyed the show and seeing how well everything went. Good job gentlemen!

First of all you must feel like you’re the one my reply was about Tristam. Why is that? Do you have the traits I mentioned? Second the link you posted didn’t open anything, nor connect to the episode, or I would have watched it. I really want to see how the show. Eventually I will see it, then get back to you, and it might not be negative either. Btw hello Paul.

Tmayes
PJC your very behind the times most of them guys have gone.

What is quite ironic with all this is the operators that complained for years about double shifts and sleeping in converted transit vans are the very same people who are now in the office running Ainscough or it's subsidiaries. Julian Dyer, Jim Fleming, Steve Turner, John Lowton, Dave Pritchard plus many many more.

Laughable really !!

The Force
Come on lads stay focused we're not discussing truck drivers that are on less than half the wages of heavy crane drivers or that are governed to 30% of the crane drivers hours by law of which could be a good thing for the crane hire industry we're talking top payed men here working for a self claimed market leader who obviously don't give a hoot about there work force of which may I also say ithat judging by the likes and dislikes it would appear that 29 of there staff members have also been reading these comments, at the end of the day long hours and poor conditions = poor health take a leaf out of your European counterparts!!!

no cranes were harmed in the making of this film they all still the right way up :-)

Hello again ray little you can't ban me from here :-) all I have to say to you is no trees were harmed in the making of this film go big or go home little :-)

it is a great insight in to what we do , i see ainscough getting it in the neck for the way there lads live away from home in backs of vans but how many stobbart or prestons of potto drivers (2 massive uk haulage companies ) would love a shower in there cabs ? , wagon drivers have benn doing it for years , its a shame people knock us for what we do but i would love to see them in the middle of the night humping 20 ton collor chains about on a lift that is unstable and only 6 hours to do it , the lads did a great job ,

Tmayes
http://youtu.be/w5wQj6xZSB8

There's a link ray so before making smart arsed comments watch it then get back to me.

Breakingbad
Most comments on here seem to be about living out of a transit van? Well guys let me enlighten most of you. Its been going on for years with most company's, not just Ainscough. We do have the option to go into digs or hotels but most of the time its more convenient to use the van, just like the thousands of truck drivers everyday......

tackb
well ray is a bit of a chopper isn't he ?

i'd have thought he would be too busy tipping cranes over trying to lift trees (seems to be popular in the states) to be commenting on here?

Tmayes
http://youtu.be/w5wQj6xZSB8

There's a link ray so before making smart arsed comments watch it then get back to me.

I didn’t get to see the show here, cuz I don’t get that channel, but wished I could have watched. I wonder how they were able to make the claim about the largest, tallest and most powerful cranes in the world tho? Not even close to be a true claim. I know of one particularly fugly, conceited and arrogant ‘character’, seen in an internet preview seated in the cab at the controls, that has no business being in any cab at all. I’m glad he’s on their team and not mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bigboy
Live the dream sleep in a van or car for weeks on end don't see your family ACH not doing them selves any favours with this programe lots of other good crane operators on other fims.

Wally
Well said everyone so far it's about time the truth started to come out about ach this program has certainly highlighted some serious short comings of the so called market leader that don't operate the largest cranes in the uk that's only in there marketing plan to make customers believe they are the only option I think after customers watch the program they will be asking some prity awkward questions about how they run things ( oh and well said "sany man " )

The Force
Good comments guys but could this be the start of something big ? The ACH boys have got an ideal chance now to post there comments on this site without fear of reprisals after spending the best part of two decades at ACH I know only too we'll that if you dared to voice your opinion out loud it was at your own peril , it is an absolute discrace the way they treat there Heavy crane ops and what a total embarrassment for the men there family's & friends it must have been to show the whole nation how they live let alone the embarrassment to the company it's managers & directors, the real truth behind it is they allow there men to work more than double an 8 hour shift then climb out of wet clothes with nowhere to dry them jump in the back of a transit van for 5 to 6 hours then up again only to put the wet clothes back on, this is a chance to comment under a fictitious or nick name and speak your mind and hopefully together you may embarrass ACH into giving you all hard working guys a better standard of living never mind the £70k wages money is not everything quality of life is better for you other crane company's can do it for there men why can't greedy Ainscoughs ????o

powlo
i understand they get paid from 50-70k a year so they should for the hours they put in, but i work for nationwide platforms truckmount devision and do long hours and 9times out of 10 if working long distance from home i am put in a premier inn or a home from home hotel or provided with a hire car to travel home in if truck stays on-site i mean to be honest those blokes look like they needed a good wash ,so ainscough get in the 2000 century and splash some of the cash those heavy cranes earn and give the blokes proper facilities !!!....

Hedgehog
Does nobody find it funny that they say Ainscough run the UKs biggest cranes but yet the two biggest cranes in the show are from Mammoet.......

Considering the high cost of heavy lifting I was appalled to see the converted transit vans that the workers had to sleep in. If you kept dogs in a van like that you would be prosecuted. Would love to see an electrical test certificate for that guy's converted MPV he lives in ! Loved the program but really surprised at the poor welfare standards that Ainscough allow their hard working staff sleep in. Opened my eyes to Ainscough on that one. Will definitely ask questions about welfare next time I use them on a lift !

To be honest, I was actually well impressed with how the guys portrayed their company. There is no denying that they are the largest crane supplier in the Uk, why wouldnt they be proud to be part of that ? No matter what they do, they are going to be criticised simply becuase they are Ainscoughs. The bottom line is, they are the market leaders!
The only negative was how the train recovery was handled, I thought this was very poor. I cannot believe they allowed the tank to 'slip around' in the chains like that, especially when using a crane with such a long jib length. The tank should have been lifted as it was in its stricken position close to the crane pad, laid down on timber or even a mound of stones/gravel, then re-slung and brought to normal position using 2 cranes.

lambsy
Not a very good way to treat staff , having to sleep in converted vans.
In this day and age workers should be sleeping in a proper bed , ie a low cost hotel , well rested and ready for a days graft next morning.
Ill bet no member of management ever sleep in a van when working away from home.
Real problem is staff allowing them selves to be treated like this , why not go the whole hog , save on company vans and sleep in the cranes as well as driving them ?

Oh I wondered how long it would take for reality tv to get to crane hire. We all can't wait for ainscough to be rammed down everyone's throats, how they do everything by the book and how they are bigger and better than everybody else. Oh how the reality is somewhat different,

Hopefully the days of 36 hour shifts with one operator and lack of training have gone but we will see.