HIAB iQ.708 HiPro: 70 tm crane with 40 m vertical reach

Reach first, then payload

The headline numbers are reach. The iQ.708 HIPRO offers a maximum vertical reach of 40 metres, and with a 15 tm jib fitted it can deliver material with an up-and-over of 26 metres – the figure that matters when a crane has to lift a load over a building and set it down on the far side.

The boom is the V12-Power profile, a twelve-sided section that Hiab has scaled down from its larger cranes for this model. It is offered with six to nine extensions, and the jib profile with six. The point of the exercise is weight: a lighter, more compact crane frame leaves more payload on the truck and widens the range of chassis the crane can be mounted on, which is the practical constraint most operators run into in this size class.

SPACEevo, variable pumps and distance control

The crane runs Hiab’s SPACEevo control system, paired with the Olsbergs V200 valve and variable pumps for higher flow and lower fuel consumption. With the iQ.708 Hiab also introduced Synchronised Distance Control, a function that automatically holds the load at a set distance from the crane tip while the operator works only the extension movements from the remote.

That removes the need to co-ordinate several levers at once, which is where mistakes happen when the load is a long way out and high up and the operator has lost a clear line of sight.

“The design philosophy behind the structure of the crane is to deliver a balance between performance and overall installation flexibility, enabling customers to benefit from more payload on a wide assortment of truck installations, which are key elements for the users in this segment.”

– Stefano Brusa, Director, Global Product Management Heavy & Superheavy Loader Cranes, Hiab

Hiab also emphasises what the control system does for less experienced operators. The company has been open about the driver shortage in the transport industry and has pitched its recent control systems as a way of getting a competent, safe result out of an operator who has not spent twenty years on a crane. Sensor-based safety features and assisted functions such as SDC are part of that argument.

Service packages alongside the machine

The crane is CE marked and can be bought with Hiab’s HiConnect telematics and ProCare service contracts, which cover preventive maintenance and scheduled inspections. Availability of those plans varies by market.

Source: Hiab — Photos: Hiab