Advanced Land Management and Tree Removal (ALM) claims to have taken delivery of the largest grapplesaw loader crane in North America from sales company Grapplesaw Trucks.
Based on a PM 210 SP Platinum range heavy-duty crane, the 190 tonne/metre BIK TC-170 features an eight section main boom plus an eight section hydraulic jib to offer a maximum lift height of almost 50 metres and up to 45 metres horizontally. Supplied with a 2.9 tonne Mecanil SG160 and a 1.5 tonne SG280 grapple saw attachment, which can grab and cut through tree trucks or limbs of up to 550mm, the loader crane can handle 1,080kg at its maximum grab height of 51.8 metres. The new crane is mounted on a five axle Western Star chassis and joins a 90 tonne/metre BIK TC-126 in ALM’s fleet.
ALM owner Wes Keller, said: “Most of our picks are around 25 to 35 metres away. With the BIK TC-126 we were working close to capacity for a lot of our jobs. The BIK TC-170 will allow us to make picks well below maximum capacity and in my opinion, limit wear and tear on the boom and increase safety. The extra reach will really help on some of our jobs as well.”
Based in Abingdon, Virginia, ALM provides arboriculture and land management services throughout south west Virginia and north east Tennessee. A year after adding its first grapplesaw loader crane to its fleet the company sold off its mowing and landscaping business in order to focus on the increased demand for tree removal work.
