CRANEWORX LIFTS BUSINESS WITH ISUZU HEAVY HAULER
The sight of a bright yellow taxi crane trundling down the road, on the job for Craneworx will be a familiar sight to those living in Adelaide.
The home-grown crane hire and rigging business has been growing steadily year-on-year, providing local industry and residents with a range of services including general transport, machinery relocation, rigging and traffic control.
On the lifting side of things, Craneworx provides the option of seven mobile cranes—from the 7-tonne Kobelco City Crane through to a MAC 25-4 Superlift Franna—covering everything from lifting in a regular air-conditioning unit to dropping a swimming pool in the backyard.
“Anything that needs lifting or shifting, we’re there,” said company owner, Joe Lockwood.
“We work across varied industries, with a lot of infrastructure work, but we can lift and transport just about anything from ATCO huts to heavy machinery or house frames.”
Joe worked in the transport and crane industry for over 16 years before he started Craneworx in 2003 with a 12-tonne Franna crane and single truck.
Since then, it certainly appears Joe and his son, Daniel (who joined the team in 2008), have hit on the right mix of customer-focused service and fit-for-purpose equipment.
They’ve invested in a ninth truck to support the business; an Isuzu FYJ 300-350 8x4, featuring a Meritor twin-steer front axle and tilt tray.
“The FYJ has an eight-metre tray which is just right for carrying our two-and-a-half tonne Hyva loader crane,” Joe explained.
“Before purchasing this truck, we were sending out much larger trucks in conjunction with a mobile crane for simple jobs, which wasn’t the most efficient solution.”
It didn’t take long for the new Isuzu and crane combo to become a team favourite, particularly for jobs around the city or suburbs.
“We can now pick up air conditioners and lift them straight onto the roofs with this one unit, or cart in a pool and lift it straight into the required area,” said Joe.
“The Isuzu with the tilt tray and on-board crane has diversified our operations.”
Those working in a 24/7 industry like Craneworx know the value of a tool that will not fail when they need it.
That’s part of the reason Craneworx chose to double down with the FYJ 300-350, which comes backed with Isuzu’s reputation for building trucks that last for decades.
“I’ve got a couple of customers who own Isuzus and they were very pleased with the performance. Even though they have older models, they’ve had no trouble with them, and I wanted that for my own operation,” Joe said.
“Compared to other brands, we found Isuzu’s service and warranty offering to be a lot more compelling.
“North East Isuzu has also been very good to deal with—they designed the tray and the layout, got the crane fitted and got it all certified, their service is excellent.
“They made it so easy, I just went there and picked it up.”
Joe’s favourite feature of his new truck goes to the remote-control tilt tray recommended by their Isuzu dealership.
“The remote control allows the crane to be operated from a distance which saves us time and is a lot safer as we don’t have to go near the truck while unloading.”
In addition to carting their Hyva crane, Craneworx’s new FYJ has a serious 30,000 kg GVM and 45,000 GCM. It comes with Isuzu load-sharing front suspension, a system that allows customers to take advantage of additional front axle capacity—that is, an increase of one tonne, achieved by spreading weight evenly across both steer axles.
This combined with the low tare mass of the Isuzu chassis leaves the truck with the ideal payload for heavier transport and crane operations.
“Even with the crane on board, we can still get 11.5 tonne onto the tray, which is great for the type of jobs we need it for,” Joe said.
And with Isuzu’s 6UZ1-TCN engine under foot, the FYJ has enough heft to back up capacity with a power rating of 345 HP achieved at 2,000 rpm and generous torque of 1,422 Nm available at 1,400 rpm.
Despite its considerable 8x4 size, Joe claims it drives like a car.
“It’s got great suspension with the Hendrickson airbags in the rear, great visibility, and for a truck with a twin-steer axle, it has a very good turning circle.
“The guys feel like it’s their ‘work car’, they don’t want to get out of it.
“And it’s much more fuel-efficient solution for us than running around town with a semi!” Joe added.
“It’s been an excellent addition to our fleet, so we are very pleased with it.”
It’s not all about the heavy lifting for Craneworx—this family-owned and operated company is also passionate about supporting charities like the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Australia and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“We’re a family business and we work in local communities, so we like to give back where we can,” Joe concluded.
On the lifting side of things, Craneworx provides the option of seven mobile cranes—from the 7-tonne Kobelco City Crane through to a MAC 25-4 Superlift Franna—covering everything from lifting in a regular air-conditioning unit to dropping a swimming pool in the backyard.
“Anything that needs lifting or shifting, we’re there,” said company owner, Joe Lockwood.
“We work across varied industries, with a lot of infrastructure work, but we can lift and transport just about anything from ATCO huts to heavy machinery or house frames.”
Joe worked in the transport and crane industry for over 16 years before he started Craneworx in 2003 with a 12-tonne Franna crane and single truck.
Since then, it certainly appears Joe and his son, Daniel (who joined the team in 2008), have hit on the right mix of customer-focused service and fit-for-purpose equipment.
They’ve invested in a ninth truck to support the business; an Isuzu FYJ 300-350 8x4, featuring a Meritor twin-steer front axle and tilt tray.
“The FYJ has an eight-metre tray which is just right for carrying our two-and-a-half tonne Hyva loader crane,” Joe explained.
“Before purchasing this truck, we were sending out much larger trucks in conjunction with a mobile crane for simple jobs, which wasn’t the most efficient solution.”
It didn’t take long for the new Isuzu and crane combo to become a team favourite, particularly for jobs around the city or suburbs.
“We can now pick up air conditioners and lift them straight onto the roofs with this one unit, or cart in a pool and lift it straight into the required area,” said Joe.
“The Isuzu with the tilt tray and on-board crane has diversified our operations.”
Those working in a 24/7 industry like Craneworx know the value of a tool that will not fail when they need it.
That’s part of the reason Craneworx chose to double down with the FYJ 300-350, which comes backed with Isuzu’s reputation for building trucks that last for decades.
“I’ve got a couple of customers who own Isuzus and they were very pleased with the performance. Even though they have older models, they’ve had no trouble with them, and I wanted that for my own operation,” Joe said.
“Compared to other brands, we found Isuzu’s service and warranty offering to be a lot more compelling.
“North East Isuzu has also been very good to deal with—they designed the tray and the layout, got the crane fitted and got it all certified, their service is excellent.
“They made it so easy, I just went there and picked it up.”
Joe’s favourite feature of his new truck goes to the remote-control tilt tray recommended by their Isuzu dealership.
“The remote control allows the crane to be operated from a distance which saves us time and is a lot safer as we don’t have to go near the truck while unloading.”
In addition to carting their Hyva crane, Craneworx’s new FYJ has a serious 30,000 kg GVM and 45,000 GCM. It comes with Isuzu load-sharing front suspension, a system that allows customers to take advantage of additional front axle capacity—that is, an increase of one tonne, achieved by spreading weight evenly across both steer axles.
This combined with the low tare mass of the Isuzu chassis leaves the truck with the ideal payload for heavier transport and crane operations.
“Even with the crane on board, we can still get 11.5 tonne onto the tray, which is great for the type of jobs we need it for,” Joe said.
And with Isuzu’s 6UZ1-TCN engine under foot, the FYJ has enough heft to back up capacity with a power rating of 345 HP achieved at 2,000 rpm and generous torque of 1,422 Nm available at 1,400 rpm.
Despite its considerable 8x4 size, Joe claims it drives like a car.
“It’s got great suspension with the Hendrickson airbags in the rear, great visibility, and for a truck with a twin-steer axle, it has a very good turning circle.
“The guys feel like it’s their ‘work car’, they don’t want to get out of it.
“And it’s much more fuel-efficient solution for us than running around town with a semi!” Joe added.
“It’s been an excellent addition to our fleet, so we are very pleased with it.”
It’s not all about the heavy lifting for Craneworx—this family-owned and operated company is also passionate about supporting charities like the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Australia and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“We’re a family business and we work in local communities, so we like to give back where we can,” Joe concluded.
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