Sumitomo Heavy Industries Construction Cranes (HSC) released its first hydraulic telescopic boom crawler crane back in 2017, but Hunter Civil’s new HSC 650TLX is the first one ever sold in New Zealand. “We’ve already had a Japanese guru from HSC visit us to see the crane, given it is a first for them in New Zealand,” says Julian.

The 650TLX is equipped with a 4-section 10m telescopic boom (extending to 30m) with a lightweight, high-strength and high-rigidity structure, mounted on a proven crawler crane body, resulting in unsurpassed operating ease, and huge benefits when it comes to transportability. Compared to lattice booms, telescopic booms have fewer components to worry about during transportation. The crane can be assembled in the tightest of spaces, and the assembly and disassembly time is much faster overall, benefits which have already been noticed by the Hunter Civil team, says Julian. “The crane is so mobile and easy to set up, which is pretty crucial for us. We can drive it around on a transporter, get it to site, and within 45 minutes, can have the counterweights on and the crane ready for action.”

Hunter Civil has also used the crane to install a large pre-fabricated wet well for a big waste water pump station at Kirwee, and it is currently set up at the firm’s own yard, where it is assisting with the lifting of the completed pre-cast concrete pontoon units for the Diamond Harbour project.

The 650TLX is already proving to be an adaptable and reliable workhorse with its Isuzu GHK1 210kw (285HP), four-cycle, water-cooled, direct injection, turbo-charged diesel engine, 70.9 tonne operating weight, and powerful hydraulic system which includes 3 hydraulic power outlets for running augers and vibro equipment.   All these features are well suited to a range of applications on construction sites with tough, diverse working conditions. These include everything from large scale lifting, vertical construction, and bridge building, to pile driving, and demolition and foundation works that involve pulling out old piles or vibration hammer operations. The crane has an ‘Excavation Mode’ suitable for foundation construction work such as drill augers and drilling pylon holes.