Author: Caitlin Shanley

You read that right. The boom truck in your yard operating for years isn’t giving you its best performance. The performance it’s capable of. That’s because unless your team is running a QMC, your crane hasn’t been optimized to deliver maximum functionality.

At QMC, our boom trucks are thoroughly analyzed and tested to ensure we capitalize on every possible opportunity to improve capability. Other manufacturers build a standard crane and provide minimum chassis requirements for the trucks without accounting for variation between crane and truck. Their approach marginalizes the difference between units and leaves them building a crane that is just “good enough.”

At QMC, however, we understand all trucks are not the same. We know a heavier truck paired with heavier crane accessories equals additional counterweight when lifting and that a truck’s center of gravity can impact specific lifting quadrants but not others.

Our engineers review not only crane design but also the unique layout of the truck and crane combo to calculate the absolute maximum capacity of a given unit for every point on our load charts.

“Every crane’s load chart is calculated by an in-house proprietary software,” says Brent Petring, General Manager of QMC Cranes. “We check things like the structural capacity and the tipping capacity. Then we provide the limitation of the two as the load chart for that crane.”

QMC doesn’t stop there.

Before delivery, QMC performs thorough testing, taking each unit to extreme limits to validate our calculated capacities. During testing, if a crane’s capacity exceeds expectations, we modify that unit’s specific load chart, codifying the advantage into the crane’s delivered performance.

This process is repeated at every point on the load chart for every single crane we ship.

Our detailed analysis and testing practice ensure a QMC unit always delivers its maximum potential and is never just “good enough.” So, the next time you’re looking for a boom truck, ask yourself, “do I want to get the most out of my crane?”

If the answer is “yes.” Contact QMC Cranes today.

How much can you lift? Boasting about your lifting capacity is pretty standard fare for most crane manufacturers. The ability to lift, transport, and set heavy items is the key selling point for the typical industrial buyer. You want a crane that can handle the weight of your projects day in and day out.

Whether you work in oil and gas, precast concrete, electric utilities, or the construction industry, the true lifting capacity of a crane can be confusing. Be sure to do your research before you make a purchase based purely on advertised numbers.

Take boom truck cranes, for example. Most are rated at the absolute maximum lifting capacity of the crane. This approach can be deceiving. A quick glance at a crane’s load chart will show it is actually only able to meet the stated capacity when the boom is fully retracted and the lifting is done as close as possible to the crane’s center of rotation. That means it is only 4 feet to 6 feet away in many cases. Keep in mind a standard boom truck is mounted on a truck with a 96 inch wide deck. So almost any crane centered on the truck would need to lift 4 feet to 5 feet just to avoid hitting the truck bed.

In reality, most boom truck cranes are used at distances of at least 10 feet and only increase from there. What’s the benefit of stating a crane can lift 25 tons at 4 feet when the crane cannot even pick up 25 tons off the side of the truck? If the item you’re lifting is large, the rating is to the center of gravity of the item. For example, a 6 foot by 6 foot box would be 3 feet from the edge to the center of the box. To set that box off the side of an average boom truck, you would need at the very least 7 feet.

At QMC Cranes we provide lift capacity ratings at a minimum of a 10 foot radius. A rating should be a guide for selecting the correct crane, not a number designed for boasting. So the next time you’re shopping for a boom truck, check and see if it’s overrated.

A key advantage of the boom truck is the ability to take a powerful crane wherever you need to go. In the field some contractors prefer the ability of a rough terrain crane or a crawler lattice crane, but these are not capable of moving quickly from jobsite to jobsite. Crane rental outfits often make the case that the boom truck gives the best bang for your buck when you need a versatile crane, especially in urban areas.

A primary reason the boom truck excels is due to its short wheelbase, making it extremely maneuverable. A shorter distance between wheel axles ensures a tight turning radius and keeps drivers happy when needing to position a crane in close quarters. The downside comes when you need higher capacity cranes or are delivering heavy products. In these cases you typically need longer trucks, which can be both cumbersome and ineffective.

When determining your crane needs, it is important to understand axle capacities and federal regulations. Maximum axle weights are governed by two things: 1) axle capacity as rated by the manufacturer, and 2) federal bridge law. In nearly every case, the federal bridge law formula limits the amount of weight you can put on a single axle to tonnage substantially below the axle rating. To allow more weight to be carried, the wheelbase needs to be extended or more axles need to be added.

If you ever wonder why heavy hauling trucks are rolling down the road on five or six axles, it is most likely due to the regulations. On the plus side, the federal bridge formula allows more weight with additional axles. The downside is that as you add more axles to the truck you get diminishing returns, such as more weight, extra costs, less maneuverability, and less driver comfort. For those reasons, the key is to determine the appropriate number of axles for the type of work expected of the truck.

Three Axles and a Crane

A traditional boom truck is configured with three axles, usually on a 6 foot by 4 foot chassis with the rear tandem axle. Additional axles can be fixed, as in a tridem group, or liftable axles can be added as needed. The benefit of the lift axle is the ability to raise it up when it’s not needed to save on fuel consumption and tire wear.

When looking at the specifications of the crane it is important to identify which axle configuration will yield the highest loads, while still ensuring the maneuverability you need on the jobsite. The two primary configurations that our team sees are a lift axle in front of the rear tandem’s “pusher” axle or a lift axle behind the tandem’s “tag” axle. Both have their own benefits based on the crane.

A pusher axle can substantially increase the potential amount of payload on the deck of the crane because it typically sits directly below the middle of the deck. This position enables the pusher axle to take a high percentage of the weight of the payload, keeping it away from other axles where capacities may be limited.

In other units, adding the extra stability of a tag axle often makes sense because the boom truck can act like a large seesaw over the rear tandems. Specifically if most of the crane weight is behind the rear tandem axles, it reduces the weight on the front axle. This unloading effect puts more weight on the rear axles, leaving the front with capacity to spare. By adding the tag axle, the truck can comfortably lift the crane, while balancing the weight more evenly across the axles.

One of the best aspects of the tag axle is that when the additional payload is not on board the axle can be lifted, substantially decreasing the effective wheelbase and giving that extra maneuverability back to the driver.

Every boom truck needs to be evaluated for the best weight balance possible. There is no one truck configuration that fits all solutions. By ensuring a balance between truck and crane weight, owners can get the most out of every delivery without compromising driver satisfaction.

If you have questions about the layout of your boom truck, please let us know. We’ll be happy to talk with you about it.

Picking a new crane for your business is kind of like trying to select the best streaming service for your television setup. The options can be overwhelming, with many features, price points, and extras. As with any big decision, it helps to know what you want when you’re starting the decision-making process.

Consider the search for the ideal crane. Do you need more reach? Do you need higher lifting capacity? How much payload can you take to your jobsite? These questions and many others become glaring issues when beginning your search.

Every industry application has slightly different requirements, be it construction, oil and gas, or electric utilities. Here we will discuss cranes for the precast concrete industry and what should you look for in a truck crane that could pay long-term dividends for your business.

Precast concrete is extremely versatile material that continues to grow in popularity for community infrastructure needs. There are certain limitations when it comes to transporting and setting a precast structure on a jobsite, and because the precast structure needs to be moved from the manufacturing facility to the installation site, it will need to be transported on federal highways and subject to size limits. (See an example of California regulations.) So truck mounted cranes or trailer cranes are the answer. Let’s go through the key considerations that any precast business owner, operations manager, or equipment buyer should make in selecting a crane.

Which products do you want to be able to ship and set?

Some products never need to be offloaded and set, so a crane doesn’t make sense. Handholes or small boxes can be transported on line trucks or even shipped less than load (LTL). Other products like septic tanks, electrical vaults, clarifiers, or storage tanks typically need to be shipped to and installed at jobsites. These precast concrete products are ideal candidates for a crane that increases your company’s value-added service to your customers.

What are the weights and dimensions of your products?

Deciding what products to deliver and set, determining all the possible sizes, and picking the best crane to fit the criteria can be challenging for even the most knowledgeable professional. Are you delivering a 1,500-gallon septic tank or moving a12 foot by 6-foot vault section? The crane needs to be able to carry the weight of that product on the deck or split the weight between the deck and a trailer. For that reason, a lightweight crane is important to ensure your combined weights stay within federal transportation requirements. See our chart for a 49,700 pound capacity trailer with a boom length up to 37 feet.

The dimensions of your products are also a huge factor when it comes to a precast concrete application. Most truck cranes use a horizontal lift cylinder that helps boost the lifting capacity of the crane. While this may benefit the crane’s ability to pick up the product, it renders the deck space almost useless for loading large concrete products. We recognized that limitation at QMC, so we design our cranes with a vertical lift cylinder that maximizes the open space on the deck to accommodate the largest products possible.

When setting, how far do you need to be able to set your heaviest product?

The ability to set products is why we consider a crane in the first place. So bigger is better, right? Not necessarily. There’s a give and take to consider.

The issue with a high-capacity crane always comes back to the weight. A bigger, stronger boom weighs more, meaning you lose the ability to put as much weight on the deck. Boom design is the art of balancing the strongest capacity with the lightest possible weight to ensure maximum payload every time. Look at your most common applications. What products are you shipping, and how close are you able to get to the set location? While it would be great to set a 20,000-pound piece 30 feet away, it may not be necessary for your company.

As much as we wish there was a simple formula for the perfect crane design, it’s like choosing your TV service. It’s not a one size fits all decision. Instead, it’s a series of tradeoffs between things like lift capacity and crane payload. That’s where QMC’s team of engineers can assist. We have extensive experience and deep roots in the precast concrete industry. We’re ready to help you design the perfect boom truck or trailer crane to elevate your business.

We have a formula we think works well

There’s no silver bullet to making a world class crane. At QMC Cranes we’ve built a reputation over the years for knowing what it takes. So let’s break it down.

Materials

You can’t build an exceptional crane with run of the mill materials. We’re talking about the steel mill here. QMC does not use average materials. Our cranes are constructed from Strenx, a premium performance steel that can make the end product stronger, lighter, and safer than typical steel. And that’s key because lighter weight means more room for your payload on our cranes.

Jimmy Allen, Technical Development Manager for SSAB, which manufactures Strenx, says the extra care that goes into removing impurities during the manufacturing process ensures the highest quality steel that is stronger and lighter, and that pays off both in performance and safety.

“When you’re talking about a crane boom, safety is very important,” Allen says. “To decrease the weight of the boom, you have to reduce the thickness of the steel. With Strenx we reduce the thickness and go to a higher steel strength. That way we can create a longer reach boom that will handle the load while also maintaining a good safety factor.”

The result is a crane that can weigh up to 30% less but still match load charts with heavier competitors.

Geometry

In the precast concrete industry, QMC is known for building cranes that allow a lot of weight on deck. The carrying capacity of your rig is maximized with our lighter, stronger cranes. It’s one of the basic differences between QMC and other telescoping boom cranes.

All our efforts in designing world class cranes are devoted to optimizing the weight to provide the most strength with the least amount of materials. While other crane manufacturers may fill the torsion box or main structural beam with steel or concrete ballast, we take a different path.

We use geometry and physics, coupled with our engineering design expertise, to keep our cranes light without sacrificing capacity or stability. Compare our load charts with other, heavier cranes. Here’s a QMC 4033R Load Chart for your precast concrete needs.

Customer Service

QMC Cranes is known for its stellar customer service. We’re not just selling cranes; we’re building relationships. Almost every crane we sell is built to order, so we’re going to ask you how you plan to use the crane. How much weight do you want to carry? How much boom do you really need?

We’ve had customers who will start the conversation wanting a 150 foot long boom. Then we talk. We learn about their work. We tell them about our cranes. They may end up deciding what they really want is a 60 foot long boom that will give them 10 times the strength at the rates they’re picking. It’s not a one size fits all business.

We can make all kinds of customizations to suit your business needs, including undercarriage lighting, wireless load systems, outrigger control valves, and wood decking among many other features. We’ll paint it any way you want with your logo. We’ll also work with you on specifying a truck – line by line – to match the truck with your crane.

Our goal is to make sure you drive away with the exact crane you need for your work. At the end of the day we want you to love your QMC Crane because you’re going to have it for a long, long time.

Crane Hot Line Interviews QMC GM

“We’re seeing more emphasis on safety features,” says Brent Petring in the October 2020 issue of Crane Hot Line. “We’re also seeing more remote-control applications and the need for additional lighting.”

The QMC Cranes General Manager joins a discussion on the boom truck crane market with fellow industry experts from Altec, Elliott Equipment, Load King Cranes, Manitex, National Crane, Smiley Lifting Solutions, and Boomtrux. Crane Hot Line Editor in Chief Mike Larson handles the heavy lifting of understanding the trends before, during, and after the pandemic.

Get the lowdown on what’s up with the boom truck crane market in the article Business Not Booming, But Steady. As the leading source for the crane, rigging, and specialized transport industry, Crane Hot Line provides thought provoking insights on the current state of all things crane.