6 ways Valla mini cranes can make your lifting project easier

Mini cranes are becoming increasingly popular to carry out lifts in a range of industrial environments in a process of change driven by modern manufacturing techniques.

This keeps Hird’s Valla mini crane hire fleet in high demand. It also means we are always adding more mini cranes to the hire fleet so customers can always rely on us to meet their needs quickly and efficiently.

Valla mini cranes are pick and carry cranes. This means these machines can lift a load and carry it safely to another location, which may be some distance from the original lift site.

You can view our interactive Anatomy of a Mini Crane to get a guided tour around the technical advantages of the Valla pick and carry mini crane.

But, what makes Valla pick and carry mini cranes so effective in a modern industrial environment? Here are six reasons to consider:

1. Valla mini cranes work best in confined spaces

These machines are designed specifically to be operated in confined industrial spaces. It is one reason why they are often called compact cranes. They are designed to be narrow, with a short wheelbase.

Standard wheeled Valla pick and carry cranes have an articulating rear axle, so they can slew with ease in either direction. The mini cranes turn on their front axles. This means they can be moved into position to carry out a lift.

If necessary, the crane can be repositioned quickly, or the load can be transported to another location. Reach can be extended with a fly jib, making lifting operations in areas where lift height is restricted even easier.

 

2. Valla mini cranes improve lift safety

Every design element of these pick and carry cranes, combined with their method of operation, is designed to support safe lifting. However, specifically, the machines are fitted with the latest 3B6 digital load monitoring systems. These support safe planning and execution of lifts, reducing the risk of incidents that put operatives at risk of injury, or could damage the load, surrounding objects or the crane.

3. Valla mini cranes simplify lifts – and reduce manual handling

Pick and carry cranes are designed to reduce the number of discreet operations during a lift to a minimum, and that includes manual handling. In some industrial environments, loads are lifted with one machine, transported with another, then lifted again at the end of the journey with another machine.

Along the way, a significant amount of manual handling is done to support what are multiple tasks. Valla mini cranes do away with that complex process. One machine does all the tasks with minimal need for manual handling. In this way Valla pick and carry cranes are inherently safer and more efficient.

 

4. Mini cranes improve productivity

Because Valla pick and carry mini cranes can be used for all tasks for lifting and carrying, they improve the productivity of lifting operations. Also, they are ideally designed for modern industrial environments and locations. For example, production lines increasingly have to be changed to allow different products to be made on one line.

This requires machinery to be lifted out and reinstalled at regular intervals. Mini cranes are best-suited for these operations. They also allow the expansion of production environments without the need for installing large fixed lifting systems, such as overhead cranes.

Valla mini cranes are well known also for their reliability and robust design. This quality standard ensures crane down-time is kept to a minimum, also enhancing productivity.

 

5. Mini cranes – easy to operate with training

Valla mini cranes are designed to be operated safely using simple controls. Mini crane operators need to be fully trained and qualified. However, this training can be completed relatively quickly and cost-effectively.

 

It is cost-effective for a factory engineer or technician, or more than one of these, to be assigned responsibility to operate a mini crane. There does not need to be a full-time, dedicated mini crane operator. This improves productivity and operational flexibility still further.

6. Valla mini cranes can have bespoke designs

Hird’s pick and carry mini crane hire fleet has a range of cranes, with maximum lifting capacities ranging from two tonnes to 18 tonnes. There are a range of crane types, including electric-powered mini cranes, with non-marking tyres for indoor use, and tracked pick and carry mini cranes for outdoor use across rough terrain.

 

Hird can also project manage the design and manufacture of bespoke mini cranes for customers. An example is the Valla 1725 48ES 22-tonne DC electric mini crane designed and built for Virgin Atlantic Airways to support the servicing and repair of aircraft at the airline’s Gatwick Airport maintenance hub.

For more information about Valla pick and carry mini cranes, and how they can transform your industrial operations, call Hird today. Valla mini cranes are available for hire nationally from any one of our three operational hubs.

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