Adding a grapple to a truck mounted knuckle boom crane

[BunyipBen]

Hi Guys

I am over here in Australia and looking at purchasing a truck with an Effer 150 S knuckle boom crane. I want to use the truck for multiple purposes including transporting my 6t excavator and moving logs. We don't have many of the Z type folding log cranes that come up for sale used and I realise the benefit to these are having the crane and grab stowed within the dimensions of the truck for transport. I can potentially get the crane into work using slings to lift and unload logs but ultimately would look at adding a grab and rotator to speed up this process. I am not aware of what is involved in adding a grab if extra piping is required and spool valves etc and would like to know if it is a job that be easily enough done. I guess the other thing I will have to consider is having the grab disconnected and strapped to the rear bed of the truck when driving with the crane folded, I can't see this being too much of an issue but interested to know if it will be ok to have the crane laid out over the top of a load of logs when delivering logs to be unloaded? This crane has a remote control and I am curious how hard it will be to add the extra functions to the remote if I eventually added a grab and rotator. I am hoping that having this set up will help me get into Camphor Laurel harvesting as in my part of Australia this tree has become an invasive species and there is plenty of decent sized stands to be taken out and a market exists to purchase the logs. I have learnt a lot by viewing Arbtalk forum as things are done a bit differently up there, I am also wanting a log trailer with crane that I can tow behind my Unimog U1300L offroad as a log forwarder but they are just not available over here and I might have to think about getting something built if I choose to go down that path.

Regards

Ben

Edited June 6, 2021 by BunyipBen

[htb]

Really depends on what pipes are available on the boom at the moment, If its piped to the tip of the boom already with a pair of pipes your almost there.

[kimtree]

On 06/06/2021 at 13:51, BunyipBen said:

Hi Guys

I am over here in Australia and looking at purchasing a truck with an Effer 150 S knuckle boom crane. I want to use the truck for multiple purposes including transporting my 6t excavator and moving logs. We don't have many of the Z type folding log cranes that come up for sale used and I realise the benefit to these are having the crane and grab stowed within the dimensions of the truck for transport. I can potentially get the crane into work using slings to lift and unload logs but ultimately would look at adding a grab and rotator to speed up this process. I am not aware of what is involved in adding a grab if extra piping is required and spool valves etc and would like to know if it is a job that be easily enough done. I guess the other thing I will have to consider is having the grab disconnected and strapped to the rear bed of the truck when driving with the crane folded, I can't see this being too much of an issue but interested to know if it will be ok to have the crane laid out over the top of a load of logs when delivering logs to be unloaded? This crane has a remote control and I am curious how hard it will be to add the extra functions to the remote if I eventually added a grab and rotator. I am hoping that having this set up will help me get into Camphor Laurel harvesting as in my part of Australia this tree has become an invasive species and there is plenty of decent sized stands to be taken out and a market exists to purchase the logs. I have learnt a lot by viewing Arbtalk forum as things are done a bit differently up there, I am also wanting a log trailer with crane that I can tow behind my Unimog U1300L offroad as a log forwarder but they are just not available over here and I might have to think about getting something built if I choose to go down that path.

Regards

Ben

Small world. That truck came from Broome just a little bit down the road from me.

We have a Progress effer 305 with a grab saw but originally set it up with just a grapple. It was already piped for the jib but also required an addon electrical box to be plugged into the electrical socket where the jib would normally go and also had to be fiddled with from Italy via TeamViewer. Lots of mucking about. It may depend on what electronic control system you have as well,  progress is more complicated than DMU .You are best talking to your local Effer dealer but you may encounter some disinterest if they did not set up the crane originally. 

[BunyipBen]

On 12/06/2021 at 22:40, kimtree said:

Small world. That truck came from Broome just a little bit down the road from me.

We have a Progress effer 305 with a grab saw but originally set it up with just a grapple. It was already piped for the jib but also required an addon electrical box to be plugged into the electrical socket where the jib would normally go and also had to be fiddled with from Italy via TeamViewer. Lots of mucking about. It may depend on what electronic control system you have as well,  progress is more complicated than DMU .You are best talking to your local Effer dealer but you may encounter some disinterest if they did not set up the crane originally. 

Thats not your crane by any chance? I got sent the photo from Cam when enquiring about adding a grab to the Offer crane.

[kimtree]

yeah thats my truck.. Purchased from Walkabout services in Queensland. If you want to see crane porn lookup their facebook page.

I dont use that grab on there anymore we set it up on a 8 ton Volvo loader instead ,to make a somewhat larger version of a BMG.

The mecanil grab saw rotator and manual extension was supplied by Cam and we fitted a Cejn quick attach ourselves and got a local engineering shop to make a 45 degree jib. Cost close to 50k when finished