Mick Volendam group puts heaviest cab crane into service

With a Fassi cab crane of no less than 215 tons/meters, crane company Mick from Volendam took into service this month the heaviest cab crane ever built in the Netherlands on a Scania chassis. Not only the crane is exceptional. The Scania itself, with its 10×4 configuration, 650-hp V8 engine and high R-cab, is also an uncommon sight. Incidentally, the truck is already the third Scania that the Mick Volendam Group is taking into service. 

"When it comes to a truck with a heavy cab crane, there are really only two brands and for us only one: Scania," Nico Tol says of the investment. "That has everything to do with the click we have with the dealer in Amsterdam, the excellent service and the fact that we have also placed the maintenance contract and financing with Scania right away. That keeps the lines of communication short. On top of that, the Scania chassis is already completely optimal for this type of body ex-factory: low and, because the innerliner can be ordered ex-factory all the way to the front, super strong and rigid."

The latter is really a plus. Because the 10×4 lifts a heavy crane that, in combination with an extendable jib, reaches up to 40 meters high. "Or can lift very far vertically and we use that just as often," Nico Tol says. "That's why we also have a heavy winch on the car so we can also lift with an idle jib. Then, of course, the forces coming onto the car are very large. A Scania can have that."

And that virtually all around. Because thanks to the fifth 16-ton outrigger leg at the front of the truck, the crane operator can also lift over the cab. Which is then high. "That's true, but that high roof is a conscious choice," Nico Tol explains. "On the road you want to keep the crane out of the wind a bit, otherwise an incredible amount of dirt blows in. And because the guys often work at night, they still regularly sleep in the car. Then you have to have some space."

"This vehicle represents a substantial investment, but is in fact a savings," Nico Tol provides some deeper background on the purchase. "With this 215 ton/m crane we can do a lot of our jobs with one truck-mounted crane where until now we had to use two. Usually because the weight to be lifted versus the distance just didn't fit for one crane. But then there are two trucks working on one job with a considerable overcapacity. That is not efficient. That can be done better from now on, allowing us to be in more places at once to help everyone."

Nico Tol calls the Mick Volendam Group a fairly big player in the crane rental business which refers to the size of the operation. Because in addition to now five truck-mounted cranes between 65 ton/m and the new 215 ton/m, the company also deploys four telescopic cranes and six tower cranes on very different jobs. "We're in Amsterdam a lot, for example, installing landings. Those still easily weigh about 11 tons and that has to go up to the eighth floor. But we also work a lot for Tata Steel in maintenance and construction. With other cars we do a lot of glass again."

The 10×4 may seem like a very large vehicle, but in practice, there has been a lot of measuring and measuring to keep it as compact as possible. "With this truck we want to go to places where you can't easily get to with a mobile telescopic crane. So it has to be maneuverable which is well taken care of with those three steering axles. We also want to use it multifunctionally. We do that with the possibilities offered by the heavy 3.5-inch sliding fifth wheel. This allows us to carry both a four-meter-long body and a complete flatbed trailer. That still happens sometimes when we have to transport a crawler crane. Then we are at 22 meters in length with exemption. And apart from that, a lot of equipment has to be taken along. You don't want to have to send another truck separately to transport things like the jib extension, the equalizer and all that kind of stuff. Every nook and cranny has been used to store lifting chains, singles, shackles and so on. All that stainless steel work was done by Stam in Obdam. The crane and support legs themselves were assembled by De Jong BV in IJmuiden."

That Nico Tol opted for a 650 hp eight-cylinder, he thinks, is no superfluous luxury. "Especially with a low-loader behind it, we often go towards 100 tons GVW because such a crawler crane alone weighs more than 60 tons. That is the maximum to which this vehicle has been approved under exemption. But then it does get used, right?"