21.08.2009

Tree tips crane

A 30 tonne truck crane tipped over in Te Puke New Zealand this morning while removing tree limbs. The falling crane closed a road but no injuries were reported.
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The crane boom came down into the road

The crane, a Kato NK250v, is owned by Pollock and Sons Crane Hire of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. A larger crane was sent from Tauranga to recover the fallen crane.

Local reports say that the crane was removing a large limb which proved to be heavier than expected and caused the crane to tip. The crane was also set up on grass which may not have helped once the crane started to go and slipped off of its pads?
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As it tipped the outriggers dug in

Pollock and sons crane Hire is a well established family owned crane company with a sizeable fleet with mobile cranes up to 200 tonnes.

The company has a strong safety statement but has had an unfortunate run of minor accidents over the past year or so, none of which has resulted in a serious injury.

Vertikal Comment

Tree limb removal jobs have caused several crane tip overs this summer. They are notoriously challenging, given the irregular nature of the load and the unknown weight which is suddenly imposed on the crane as the limb is released from the tree.

With the load taken at height if it is too heavy then the crane is almost certain to go over, unlike excessive loads raised from the ground.

Working with trees does require special skills and some very generous/cautious capacity contingencies.