Happy customers are the best advertisement, as the saying goes, and Karlsruhe, Germany-based crane firm Bissinger is certainly a happy customer. “Our decision to buy this HK 4.050-1 – our second machine from Tadano – is based in no small measure on the very positive experience we’ve had with our Tadano ATF 100G-4 all terrain crane,” commented director Jürgen Bissinger on taking delivery of the new crane from Tadano sales manager Michael Zieger and Tadano head of sales for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Frank Brachtendorf, in Lauf.
Of course, the Tadano HK 4.050-1 also won Bissinger over on its own impressive technical merits. For example, the two-engine configuration for the carrier and superstructure makes the mobile crane very cost-effective in both travel and lifting operation, and, with the rear-axle steering system its manoeuvrability is in a class of its own. In addition, thanks to a permanently issued special permit, Bissinger can operate the HK 4.050-1 on public roads with its maximum counterweight.
“Without a special permit, the crane is road legal in Germany with up to 4.5 tonnes of counterweight, and even with its maximum counterweight of 8.5 tonnes, the axle load is still under 9.5 tonnes,” says Michael Zieger. And to be prepared for all eventualities, Bissinger ordered the unit preconfigured for the optional 9-meter jib. The jib can be fitted as and when required, and the crane can carry it on public roads without exceeding its maximum axle loads.
Big on performance and comfort
Another of the Tadano HK 4.050-1’s key benefits for Bissinger is its flexible H-style outriggers with their five different outrigger bases and extra-long 750 mm outrigger cylinders. “These are a major advantage, especially when working on sloping surfaces, because in many cases they mean we can dispense with timber supports – which saves time and reduces the onboard weight,” says Jürgen Bissinger.
He is also extremely impressed with the HK 4.050-1’s lifting capacity. At a working radius of 7 meters, it can lift up to 20 tonnes, and, with the main boom fully extended to 35.2 meters, it can still lift 7.6 tonnes (7-meter radius). At a 20-meter radius, the crane still handles an impressive 4.6 tonnes. “It can handle lifts for which you’d otherwise need an all-terrain crane, and that’s another reason why it’s such great value,” says crane operator Volker Seeland. He is more than happy with his new machine.
And with good reason: as well as offering superior performance, the new Tadano HK 4.050-1 is big on creature comforts, featuring air conditioning, a sleeping cabin, a refrigerator, and a coffee machine. “When choosing the equipment and fit-out, the boss took our needs on board and was really generous,” Seeland says.
Versatile truck-mounted crane
Bissinger will use its new Tadano HK 4.050-1 mainly for industrial-sector assignments, such as lifting and transporting containers and heavy machinery. With its versatility, the crane will also come into its own in the construction of prefabricated buildings, and it’s certain to prove its worth in salvage operations as well.
Comfort and handling on the road are also important factors. “We’re increasingly having to travel long distances, especially for jobs for the prefabricated-buildings sector. And on these sorts of long journeys, the HK 4.050-1 is definitely a much more comfortable way to go than an all-terrain crane,” explains Jürgen Bissinger. He is also impressed with the efficiency gains: thanks to his new HK, his operators can sometimes complete three short jobs in a day – an increasingly common scenario for the firm.
