In my state, (Missouri), no counterweight is allowed on a dolly. Oversize permits are issued only for non reducible loads, if the weight can go on a trailer, you can't get the permits to haul it with you. I have no idea what B.C. rules are, you'll need to see what the local crane guys are doing.
The companies around here take the counterweight with the crane up to the legal weight limit. I am guessing its to make them One man operations. But you are correct, We do have lots of hills that the extra weight would put added strain on everything.
If your in the hilly areas- which is most of BC, just be aware that a lot of counterweight on a dolly turns the AT's into a real dog. You are going to need spreader bars, and counterweight, mats, and rigging. I don't see you getting all that on the crane, so if you have to have a support truck anyways, why not have it haul the counterweight?
Right now all my rigging goes on a trailer I tow behind my pickup truck. But that is just the rigging I need for lifting My modular homes. Stuff will change and I have to assume that if I buy a crane, word will get out and I will start doing other jobs also. The biggest crane in my town is 75 tonne, Any lift over that require a crane from at least 2 hrs away. Your idea of A tandem flatbed for a support truck is exactly what I was considering. Most guys have one dedicated truck/ trailer combo with mats, base counterweights, and spreader bars/ rigging; then a second load if they need all the weights (in that crane size).
As far as the liebherr/ grove/ tadano thing: think dodge, gm, ford (pickups). I've been in liebherr and grove AT's. Both are good rigs, probably both german "over-enginnered" on some things, but they're million dollar machines (new) so there usually aren't drastic things wrong. I'd probably take the liebherr over the gmk just because I prefer solid axles to the mega track suspension, from a reliability/ durability standpoint. I'd say the liebherrs are the more "cadillac" of the two- and slightly better built.
The guys that have tadano's really like them. I looked at a older tadano this summer, the guys selling it bought a new tadano to replace it, and the operators didn't want the old one to go. There are very few tadano's in my area.
If you're just doing the modular's- no outside work, you can cut down on the rigging you will have to take with you, renting out for other works means you bring all kinds of stuff with you.
Yes, and when that happens I will have to go with a support truck for sure
I've often thought a dedicated straight truck, with maybe a extra cheater axle or two, with about a 18'-20' bed, (maybe even a little bigger), would be much nicer than a full semi truck/trailer combo. You could put your base load of 20-30k on it, plus your mats and make a rack for your spreader bars, a couple toolboxes under the bed for rigging. If/ when I step to that size, its probably what I'll do. It is much easier to get around a crowded job site with a dump truck sized straight truck, than a full tractor trailer, and its much harder to get stuck.
If you tear up rear ends/ trans, pulling hard with the crane dragging around counterweight and dolly, its a much more expensive repair, than fixing a support truck or truck trailer combo.
Probably the only other thing I myself would have to have, is telma brake or engine brakes. A lot of AT's only have automatic transmission retardars, and I live in a area with a lot of short, really steep hills. The auto trans retarders will not stay cool, you'll cook a transmission with one, and you'll end up wearing out the regular brakes. I'm going to bet BC has much the same terrain, so I would hold out for one with telma. Its another reason to also get the weight off the crane.
Thanks a lot for this comment, I never even considered that some cranes wouldn't have an engine brake. With the hills around here it would be a problem for sure
This is something like what I'm planning on for a "base" support truck. This one is a mack with around 24' of frame- 400hp 18 speed. Its probably allowed 60,000 gross, truck would weigh probably 20-25,000 with a flatbed. Put the counterweights over the tandems, mats in front, bars on a rack on the rear or headache rack area. Jobbox and/ or under the bed toolbox. Would save from dragging around a 15,000lbs trailer for not a lot of extra payload.
It's a $10,000 truck- that wouldn't even begin to pay for a transmission repair to a AT crane.
Most of the large crane companies don't do this kind of rig, because they have multiple different big cranes, all with their own counterweights, so they just have multiple trailers and only a couple tractor/ power units. I'm not in that situation, so could live with two dedicated trucks. One for base load, one for cheeks.
The downside of a dedicated truck, is if the truck is down, so is the crane, unless you transfer the load. If your a truck/ trailer combo, you just drag the dead truck out from underneath, hook up another truck to the trailer, and off you go.
