Double Coin Imaging Awards

Going into business for yourself is a huge undertaking at the best of times. You want to be different, fill a niche and be successful at doing whatever it is that you do, and Maximus Cranes have started out doing just that.

Operating out of Christchurch, Maximus Cranes owners Ben and Farina, have put their first crane truck to work, complete with a new Palfinger PK 1050 TEC which is the largest Palfinger Crane fitted to a truck in New Zealand.

Ben Slocombe didn’t initially start out in the transport industry. He was sitting his helicopter pilots licence when he landed a part-time job with Fitchett Linehaul in Auckland who, over time, helped him attain his Class 5 licence.

With his Pilot’s licence complete, Ben moved to Australia and had a variety of flying jobs including working for a powerline survey company, scenic flights around the Geelong waterfront and flying people to conduct gravity surveys and taking samples for the mines.

But once the iron ore price crashed exploration was cut, so Ben made the decision to return to New Zealand where he secured a job with Alexander Group in Christchurch driving an LPG tanker.

However, it was his next job at Move Logistics where Ben was introduced to crane work. This carried over to his next port of call at Stark Bros where Ben operated a PK78 crane loading and unloading fishing vessels along with some dry dock work.

After Stark Bros sold their transport division to Hilton Haulage, Ben and his partner Farina saw an opportunity to put a big crane truck to work in the Canterbury region.

“We spent a good six months going through CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawings etc, trying to make this work as it was a brand-new model crane from Palfinger,” Ben says.

“We had to make the truck heavy enough to provide the stability for the reach of the crane but then still stay within NZTA limits, which was a challenge.”

The Hino 700 Series FY 3248 AMT has a Euro 6 E13C-BK engine that develops 480- horsepower with a 16-speed TraXon transmission and retarder. The cab/chassis was taken to Wilkinson Transport Engineering in Cambridge who reduced the wheelbase, cut the driveshaft down and put in the extra tag axle on the rear.

“The steering was also modified so it turns sharper than a standard Hino, making it really manoeuvrable in tight spaces,” Ben says. 

The Hino then travelled to Christchurch where Seaview Custom Engineering fitted the Palfinger PK 1050 TEC crane.

“Ben and Farina wanted Maximus’ finish to match the impressive capabilities of the crane,” says Engineering Sales Manager Gary Stead.

“This is a truck that is built to stand out whether it’s on a building site or a showground. One cool feature is the half hexagonal steel chequer plate mudguards”.

So why the Hino brand?

Ben says; “We needed to go five axles, and it was a long wait for a European truck. Hino stepped up and had a truck available in months. Weight wasn’t really a consideration when purchasing the truck as we had to add weight to bring the TARE up for crane stability. That’s partly the reason we built all the guards and rear of truck completely out of steel.”

But the most impressive part of this build must be the Palfinger PK1050 TEC crane.

Equipped with Palfinger’s Dual Power System (DPS-Plus), which delivers increased lifting power at the fly jib along with its High-Power Lifting System and the innovative Power Link Plus System (which allows for precision operation in confined spaces) the PK 1050 TEC is next level.

The capabilities include lifting a small dimension 20-tonnes load right in close with the fly jibs taken off while at the end of the main boom it can lift 3-tonnes at 22-metres. With the first fly jib attached it can lift 1t at 35-metres and with two fly jibs added, which takes the total length to 40 metres, the crane can lift 350kg.

There’s also a winch cable that can be run through the whole length of the crane which is fantastic for lifting over houses and down steep hillsides in locations such as Lyttelton.

Ben has also added the Aluex Beam system which combines lightweight portability with incredible lifting capacity giving options of adjustable length and automatic width settings.