The benefits of a knuckle boom crane on your service truck body are often thought of as a secondary convenience. While the convenience factor is true, a knuckle boom can be an essential equipment addition that greatly increases not only the value of your utility body, but also the value of your time.
This is especially true when your trade requires extensive loading, cargo of various shapes and sizes, and less than ideal working areas.
Truth is, a portable knuckle boom crane can revolutionize the way that you conduct your day to day business, add more value to your customers, decrease your time spent loading, and most importantly, make your job easier.
1. Precision
Industry: General contractors, natural and propane gas workers, logging, DOT, city and county street departments, etc.
When dealing with heavy and oddly shaped cargo, it is important to have a tool that allows you to maneuver with ease. A knuckle boom crane accomplishes just that. With the ability to expand and contract the hinged boom, the ability to load a truck efficiently and strategically gets a whole lot easier.
The knuckle boom crane alleviates the need to manually finagle pieces from one area of the truck bed to another.
And don't pretend like you haven't been in that scenario where five guys are trying to slide some heavy ass cargo from the back of the truck bed to the front because the crane couldn't reach that far. Knuckle booms allow precision placement that will stop you from throwing your back out.
2. Loading In Tight Spaces
Industry: Construction, tire service, general contractors, etc.
There are few things on this earth that are more frustrating than arriving at a job site only to find out that you have about a foot of clearance on either side of your work truck. Forget using that crane. That is, unless, you have a magical knuckle boom.
Don't think knuckle booms are magical? Well, they are. Here's why...
In those scenarios when you have inches to spare (think city alleyways or commercial building sites), the retractable knuckle boom becomes a Godsend. Its ability to coil up like an angry rattler allows otherwise unreachable cargo to be picked up and dropped off where stick booms wouldn't have a popsicle's chance in heck. Yes, we said heck. 'Cause it's a funny word.
3. Faster Loading And Unloading Times
Industry: Lumber, tire service, gas exploration, propane gas, construction, etc.
Time is of the essence in all aspects of life. There is never enough of it, and someone always wants more of yours. It’s kind of like money. Wait, don’t they say time is money?
Anyway, a knuckle boom crane offers you more time, and consequently, more money. This is due to the optimized mobility and ease of use loading and unloading.
The knuckle boom crane’s secret sauce is in the hinge. With the ability to literally pick and drop, the cargo is ensured to be in the right spot the first time.
While it may seem like common sense, we severely underestimate the amount of time we spend trying to shimmy every piece of cargo on a truck bed and making sure it is safely loaded. Like a majestic eagle, the knuckle boom crane makes this process a breeze in one fell swoop.
As far as unloading, the same principles apply. Think of it like the arcade claw games that are in the lobbies of restaurants that are impossible to win, unless you’re the guy that wins everything.
You get to win the claw game every single time. I mean that alone should be enough to get you thinking.
If we were to look at this from a more technical (and practical) perspective, the knuckle boom crane allows you to place the boom exactly where it needs to be to strategically unload cargo at an optimized rate, thus reducing unloading time.
Compare this to traditional booms that require more tender love and care to actually be in a position to pick up cargo, and it makes perfect sense.
Like we said earlier, time is money. Throw a knuckle on your crane boom, and you will take control of your time (or at least have more control over it).
4. More Control Capabilities
Industry: Anyone who uses a utility truck or service truck. Literally, anyone.
This is where safety, time savings, and unmatched mobility find perfect harmony. The control capabilities on a knuckle boom are simply unmatched.
As far as safety goes, the more control an operator has over the boom and the cargo, the safer a utility or service truck can be loaded.
Obviously, there is hazard inherent with any type of truck loading. Even as the dangers of loading heavy cargo exist, the control capabilities of an articulating boom (that’s a fancy way of saying knuckle boom) reduce this hazard by allowing the operator to have greater control over the cargo being moved.
Continuous safety training is a must for any operator of any crane.
Looking at mobility, you would be hard pressed to be able to perform the same maneuvers with a telescoping boom as you can with a knuckle. The degrees of mobility, along with the retracting and extending allow one to operate with precision.
5. Added Capabilities And Services
Industry: Again, pretty much anyone with a work truck
While this perk would follow the addition of pretty much any crane, it is definitely worth mentioning. As a service professional, the value that you can add to your customers directly affects your business and your wallet.
The ability to quickly more lumber on a residential (or commercial) job site can significantly affect the amount of time it takes to complete a build. How much of a pain is it to rent a crane (that ain’t cheap), wait for sometimes days, and extend your job completion date?
If you had a crane, you could just start moving.
And your job would get on time.
Maybe ahead of schedule.
The amount of value you can add to your customers is the amount of value that you add to your business. If you are in an industry that ever requires a crane on-site, it may make sense to get one mounted right on your service body.
JOMAC offers custom built knuckle boom cranes, made on-site in Carrollton, OH. If you are interested in learning more about crane options, customization, or general pricing, please click here.
