12.06.2008

Fit crane

Steel erectors Fitness Engineering of Kent was looking for a crane that was both compact and that could cope with the very poor ground conditions that are found on some sites. It found a solution with a Mercedes Unimog 500 and PM30025SP loader crane.

The crane offers up to 22 metres of lift height with excellent capacities - 3.75 tonnes at six metres radius, 1.35 tonnes at 14.4 metres and with the fly jib fitted 330kgs at 22metres. A 2.5 tonne winch and radio remote controls round out the package.
Please register to see all images

The Unimog PM off road crane at work

The crane was installed by Truck Hydraulics of East Yorkshire and includes a powerful, front-mounted winch to ensure that the Unimog never gets stuck off-road.

The radio remote controller allows the operator to stay close to the load being lifted at all times from where he has perfect visibility for inch-perfect load alignment and placement. This also allows the operator to be the slinger/banksman, saving the cost of a dedicated person and avoiding any potential communication problems.

David Fitness, managing director said: “The short wheelbase Unimog is ideal for many of the working sites we attend. We have been able to diversify the customer base so that we can access and work on residential driveways and using the Unimog’s Central Tyre Inflation system to reduce tyre pressure, even in domestic gardens.

“We have also linked with a tree surgeon so that when he is asked to remove a large tree, for example by the side of a road or where overhanging is a risk; we can safely remove the bulk of the trunk with out causing any damage”

Fitness Engineering Limited was founded some 35 years ago, Fitness took over the running of the business from his father in the mid 1990s. The current Unimog U500 replaces a second-hand Unimog U1700,

“We cannot just stop because of the weather is not dry and sunny, or the ground conditions are not hard and perfect: we have the equipment and the expertise to operate almost anywhere that steel erection is required. This is just the beginning, as our aim is to progress in the future to a fleet of specialised vehicles for rough terrain lifting: whether it be a construction site or a domestic garden, we will have the solution,” he adds.