The need to efficiently deliver pre-cast concrete utility vaults with a single vehicle was the reason Jack Dorris established QMC as a crane manufacturer in the late 1960s. A pioneer in the pre-cast industry, Dorris needed a better way to set his products in the field than the existing more costly method of using a crane and separate trailer. He developed the first rear-mounted hydraulic boom truck crane under the trade name of Quik Lift. More than 30 years later, QMC continues to introduce new models. The latest are the 30 and 40 Series, featuring increased payload resulting from a decrease in weight.
“We’re keen on keeping the weight down as much as we can,” says Steve Schmidt, current president and CEO for the Fountain Valley, Calif.-based QMC. “More states are cracking down on crane owners for having too heavy a load.” Each QMC crane is designed to minimize chassis requirements, while maximizing payload and lifting capabilities. Schmidt says the company works directly with the customer’s truck manufacturer to optimize the chassis configuration. After crane completion, each unit is individually tested to guarantee the maximum load rating and payload capacity.
The new 3030LT offers the similar performance of its predecessor, but has an increased payload of about 2,000 pounds. Designed with a 15-ton load block, it will handle 30,000 pounds of maximum payload at a working radius of 12 feet through 360 degrees of rotation.
In the 40 Series, QMC offers a markedly higher load chart, thanks in part to the crane’s new rear outrigger configuration, with increased spread to 20 feet. This helps provide stability for loads up to 40,000 pounds at a 10-foot working radius. The Model 4030R carries a 20-ton load block.
Both cranes are equipped with a two-section 30-foot boom in the base model configuration. Slightly longer booms are available, but the philosophy of a high lifting capacity with shorter boom make these cranes competitive with much larger truck cranes, according to Schmidt: “The 40 Series compares favorably with other manufacturers’ 30-ton machines, and the fact that it also has high payload capacity makes for a unique package.”
QMC has equipped the cranes with a radio load-on-hook readout; an anti-two block indicator with function shutdowns; and a 12,000-pound single line pull winch. A ride-around operator’s platform with seat, remote engine on/off, throttle and horn, are standard on both models, as are LED tail and clearance lights.
The bed of the truck features Transdeck, an engineered renewable material that is weather-resistant. The machines are equipped with a 48-inch aluminum toolbox, PTO, pump, and reservoir. QMC will deliver the cranes installed on a customer-supplied cab and chassis, primed and finish-painted in the customer’s choice of colors.
“Both cranes are lighter, stronger and more efficient than previous designs,” says Schmidt. “With costs of fuel going up daily, it’s that much more important that [crane owners] make fewer hauls,” he adds. Offering the smallest capacities in QMC’s overall line of boom truck cranes, the models were designed to haul greater loads with an overall GVW of 80,000 pounds.
“Lighter, more efficient designs allow for more payload,” says Schmidt. “In the case of divisible loads, this means fewer trips. In the case of non-divisible loads, a lighter crane might make the difference between getting the job done with one vehicle, or having to use a crane and trailer.”
QMC’s new boom trucks were designed to be used anywhere that large loads need to be delivered and placed in the field, such as in the pre-cast concrete industry. Applications vary from moving septic tanks to placing above-ground fuel storage tanks, says Schmidt, but loads that are bulky and heavy “are a good fit with the high-capacity, short boom, high-payload design found in the new QMC models,” he adds.
For more information, visit www.qmccranes.com.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
