Not a normal tree day but was a great day. Only wish the new stickers were on there. Will be next week! Hope everyone is being safe! The nbt45 will be my next crane… or a knuckle boom truck (big one) with grapple saw and sell the stick crane and forestry truck and buy a high hp chip truck and if I can’t reach it I don’t need to get to it. And could still climb with the knuckle boom crane when needed. Lol
Anyone have their own knuckle boom crane? Advise? Load chart? Pros cons?
Thanks Joe
I have a HIAB knuckle boom on one of my trucks (3.6T in close, 700kg at full stick, which is around 12.5m with current configuration). Is around the largest knuckle boom for a two axle truck (what we call medium rigid). Has a remote, which is ridiculously useful.
Strict crane removals are rare in my region & I wouldn't say I always get a direct return on having it, but it is another very useful 'enabler' type of piece of equipment. Truck is run as a flat tray, carrying tools, equipment & moving logs. Having a versatile, quick to set up crane in your back pocket is great & opens up many options in lots of scenarios such as craning equipment into yards, mobile high point for climbers & efficient wood salvage, which is a valuable sideline.
Along with the convenience, find the ease of access is great, truck can go where most 4WD utes can, with the knuckle boom & remote, can sneak the hook in through 300mm 'holes'. As well as it's everyday use moving equipment & salvaging wood, it got some runs this week. Is handy being able to run the chipper with one hand & feed the whole tree in with crane with the other. As I said, I just love the remote. (disregard the accumulated hydraulic oil & dust on rear hoses, hose weeps are getting to me....)
In our region, the economics of running a dedicated, larger crane or wet hiring units just don't stack up, so for me this set up gives everyday convenience & significant advantages, with a reasonable outlay.