Bauman Crane, Chalfont, Pa., is the first company in the state to own a National NBT60 boom truck. The NBT60 offers 60-ton capacity, 128-ft. reach, and the ability to travel permit-free anywhere in the state. It is sold and supported by Stephenson Equipment.
Bauman Crane is a taxi crane company established in 1965 by Frank Bauman and now owned by Dave Kemmerer. The company worked with Stephenson specify and build the rig.
Kemmerer said, “This crane was needed by Bauman for a while. We had an 80-ton crane previously, but it required special permits to move and was travel restricted to certain hours of the day. With the NBT60, we can accomplish lifts with better reach (128ft.) with no permitting, and we can travel at all times of the day. This allows us to be on the job site when our customers want us to be there. Not having to permit for travel is a huge asset for us.”
A long-term Stephenson customer, Bauman now owns 15 National cranes and performs much of its own maintenance.
For the NBT60, Stephenson worked with National Crane and Peterbilt to design a boom truck that met Bauman's needs. Stephenson sales manager Steve Tucci notes, “The build on the Peterbilt chassis was a first for Hunter Peterbilt with a specific axle and steering design that worked for both the engineers at National and the engineers at Peterbilt. It provided Bauman with exactly what they needed.”
The crane has already seen many jobs. Bauman's Kemmerer noted a recent job completed for a local church in which the NBT60 gave them the reach and capacity to set long trusses.
Said Kemmerer, “Most of our fleet is 127-ft. boom length. That is really the magic number for us. It is what has put us on the map with the tree work and the quick taxi-crane type work we perform. To be able to step up to the 60-ton class of the NBT60 without sacrificing boom length (128ft.) has been a real plus. It was essential. Because cranes of this class do not normally have that kind of reach, set-up time is reduced, jobs get done quicker, and more options are available to us.”
Caption 1: Frank Bauman, founder of Bauman Crane, and current owner Dave Kemmerer with the company's new National NBT60 boom truck.
Caption 2: Bauman’s NBT60 (before the Bauman decals were installed) on the job at a local church site.
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