04.11.2014

More Tadano GT600EXs for Max

Max Crane and Equipment Hire of Port Augusta, South Australia, has taken delivery of two more Tadano GT600EX truck cranes.

The company services the mining, oil & gas and construction industries in the Cooper Basin, as well as carrying out work on wind farms and railways, offering both cranes and access equipment.

Max acquired its first two Japanese built Tadano GT600EX truck cranes in the spring, and was sufficiently impressed with their performance that it decided to invest in the latest two cranes taking their GT600 fleet to four. At the same time the company ordered a 130 tonne Tadano ATF 130G-5 All-Terrain crane.

The GT600EX boasts a 43 metre main boom plus 8.5 to 15.2 metre extension, it can also travel fully equipped with two hoists, jib and full counterweight within the Australian Bridge Formula. Suspension is hydraulic on all four axles and the crane, which has been adapted to the Australian market, is said to perform well over local ground conditions, while being more economical over the long distances involved in serving the Cooper Basin.
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One of Max Crane & equipment's four Tadano GT600EX truck cranes

The new cranes were purchased through Tadano Oceania, but shipped from Japan to Adelaide where they were given a pre-delivery inspection before being delivered to Port Augusta.

Max Crane and Equipment was founded by Mark Kuhn and Shane Bradshaw in 2002 and now operates a fleet of over 40 cranes, and a range of self-propelled aerial work platforms. It employs around 100 staff at three locations in Port Augusta, Whyalla and the Moomba Basin plus an office in the Adelaide. The crane fleet is mostly made up of Franna pick & carry units along with Grove and Liebherr All Terrains up to 400 tonnes and a new 500 tonne Terex AC500-2

Heavy lift manager Michael Kuhn said: “We stepped back and looked at our needs, to meet our work load and commitments in the Cooper Basin with our oil and gas customers. We felt that the Tadano GT-600EX was the right model for the job. Initially we were attracted by the lifting chart and the hydraulic suspension. Since taking delivery and working with these cranes, they have proven to be a very robust machine with the capability to go off-road and into the desert.”