AK 42 and AK 48 join the Bandshire hire fleet in Huddersfield
UK crane hire company Bandshire has taken delivery of two new-generation Böcker truck cranes, an AK 42 and an AK 48, both finished in the firm’s house colours and equipped with the manufacturer’s tower crane function.
New mast system, tower crane function
Both machines use Böcker’s current mast design, built in high-strength steel to give lateral stability under heavy loads. They slew continuously and, as with the rest of the range, have a minimal tail swing for work in confined positions — the characteristic that has kept these aluminium truck cranes in demand for urban roofing and cladding work.
The boom can be raised through 180 degrees. The tower crane function takes that further: the mast is set at 90 degrees and the jib telescoped out horizontally over a building, so material can be placed beyond the roof edge rather than swung in from the side. Extension lengths are 42 m and 49 m for the two machines respectively, both lift up to 6 t, and front mast overhang stays below 2 m, as on all Böcker cranes.
A repeat customer
Bandshire bought its first Böcker crane, an AK 46, in 2018.
“Since buying our first Böcker truck crane, an AK 46 in 2018, Böcker machines have become an important part of our hire fleet. They serve our customers very well with their versatility and short set-up times. So it was an easy decision to buy two of the newest and most innovative Böcker cranes. They are an ideal addition to our varied hire offering, which ranges from mini cranes through truck and rough-terrain cranes to 90 t cranes and beyond.”
— Ian Blacker, Bandshire
Family business in West Yorkshire
Bandshire was founded in 1988 by Ian Blacker, who runs the company today with his sons Ben and Tom from its Huddersfield headquarters in West Yorkshire. The firm provides crane services nationwide across the UK.
The two new cranes sit at the light end of a fleet that reaches to 90 tonnes, and that is where machines of this type generally earn their place in a mixed hire operation: jobs where a conventional mobile crane would be over-specified, where set-up time matters more than capacity, and where the customer needs to reach over a building rather than lift a heavy single load. The handover was made by Jake Mc Caugherty, who heads Böcker UK Ltd.
Source: Böcker — Photos: Böcker
The two Bandshire cranes
- Models: Böcker AK 42 and AK 48 truck-mounted aluminium cranes
- Extension length: 42 m and 49 m respectively
- Capacity: up to 6 t
- Slewing: continuous, minimal tail swing
- Boom: raises through 180 degrees; tower crane function with mast at 90 degrees
- Front mast overhang: under 2 m
- Operator: Bandshire, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire; founded 1988