Features
Habitat for Humanity receives boost from Ontario company

BNC Crane Services of Brantford, Ont., was happy to give a lift — using a Terex T 560-1 telescopic truck crane — to a recent Habitat Humanity Project, says a news release from Terex Corporation.

The job entailed lifting an 8,000-pound roof, with a radius of 55 feet, two storeys high for workers to secure it to the home, the release said. Habitat for Humanity Brant, which has built 19 new

homes in the area since 1999, involved BNC Crane’s team in the planning stages of the construction process.

The new home was on a small job site in an existing neighbourhood. Other houses and several electrical wires were next to the site.

“The Terex T 560-1 crane’s compact chassis configuration was beneficial for achieving the proper positioning in the tight working quarters,” the release quoted Brad Moore, owner of BNC Crane. “It only took us 15 minutes to get set up.”

Nathan Moore, his son and apprentice, worked with Habitat for Humanity volunteers to strap the roof, which was pre-built on the ground, including sheeting and shingles. From there, the elder Moore had to “perfectly lift the roof without adding stress to the structure.”

Two hours later, after a smooth operation, the roof was securely in place.

BNC Cranes purchased the T 560-1 truck crane in March 2015 from Cropac Equipment, a Terex Cranes distributor with locations in Oakville, Ont; Laval, Que.; and Nisku, Alta.

“We’ve worked with BNC Crane for a long time,” the release quoted Cropac sales rep Dan Sweeney. “They work hard and are well-respected in the area. When they were in the market to upgrade their equipment fleet, they did their homework. Brad (Moore) knew exactly what he wanted in a crane. And, the T 560-1 was the perfect unit for their needs.”

Travel speeds are important to BNC Crane, which operates in a rural area. The T 560-1 can move at up 65 miles and hour and comes equipped with an air-ride suspension for smooth travel even on rough terrain. The crane also has 110 feet of boom height and 33 to 57 feet telescoping jib range.

“Prior to purchasing this unit, we’ve been primarily using boom trucks, which limited us a bit,” Moore said. “Purchasing a telescopic truck crane is a good investment, and we expect it to help us get additional work.”

The T 560-1 features electro-proportional joysticks, which require less effort to operate regardless of the load weight. The unit’s two-speed winches shift on the fly, allowing the operator to match hook speed to the needs of the job.

“Our work varies from performing large jobs, like steel erecting, mounting air units, installing concrete and roof trusses, to smaller residential jobs, like installing hot tubs, swimming pools and moving decorative rocks,” Moore said.

He added that his company needed a machine that could life up to 60 tons, while having the versatility to perform smaller jobs fast and efficiently.

“We may not have needed all that power on the Habitat for Humanity lift, but it’s sure nice to have,” Moore said.

Habitat for Humanity uses volunteer labour and donations of materials and money to help families build and rehabilitate affordable homes, which are financed with no-interest mortgages geared to the families’ incomes.