WELCOMING FIVE NEW FRANNA’S TO DIVERSIFY PORTFOLIO
The Terex Franna AT40 only entered the market in 2019 and Smithbridge Group as already purchased five AT40’s to add to our global fleet. With the extra lifting capacity, the Franna AT40 can manage lifts normally in the domain of smaller slew cranes more flexibly and efficiently. Brisbane branch manager for Universal Cranes, Ben Smith, describes the machine as a very versatile and reliable addition to the fleet.
30 November 2021
“We are finding projects we would have typically managed with a 50t to 80t slew crane can now be performed with the AT40 due to its ability to “walk with the load”. The customers are finding several benefits in terms of hire rates, time savings and greater efficiencies on the worksite with the introduction of the Franna AT40,” Smith said.
The AT40 provides customers with valuable flexibility in a highly competitive market. As a family business, Smithbridge Group prides itself on its family business style service but with a wide breadth of machines in the fleet to deliver ‘Big Company Options’ to customers across a large geographic spread.
That’s why the parent company Smithbridge Group has invested in five AT40s across the Group. The first unit went to Smithbridge Guam in October 2019, in the Micronesian Islands to support the crane fleet in work mainly for the US’s Department of Defence. This addition to Smithbridge Guam has elevated the service offering and allowed the business to tender on more projects.
The second and third AT40s were delivered to Universal Cranes Brisbane in July 2020 and April 2021. The fourth AT40 was delivered to Universal Cranes Sunshine Coast in June 2021. The main project the Sunshine Coast Franna has being involved with was the BHMIP, Bruce Highway Mons Road upgrade. In addition, the Franna is the perfect machine for Plungie pools around the area. It also spent a couple of weeks on dry hire to Universal Cranes Central Queensland at the Windfarm in Hughenden.
Universal Cranes North QLD accepted the fifth AT40 in September 2021. Based in the Mackay branch, the AT40 has already had lots of success, working with Eilbeck Crane installing a double girder over gantry crane (configured 13m boom length, 12m boom height, radius 5.1m, net load 10.2t, load 10.8t, SWL 14t).
“Having multiple AT40s gives us greater flexibility to support the work that’s just a bit too much to do safely and efficiently with the Franna MAC 25s even with the SuperLift counterweights,” Smith says.
For more information on the AT40 and our offering, see the data sheet here.