Mackworth and Penny Hydraulics design crane for Eurovia

Eurovia's Compact Crane Solution for Wacker Plate Handling

Eurovia has a regular requirement for loading wacker plates for highway work on and off their 7.2t to 12t trucks. The company’s existing lifting equipment needed to be updated, as maneuvering the plates was proving difficult for the operator when the crane was loaded. Penny Hydraulics stated that Eurovia found other crane options too large and bulky for the vehicles, making them unsuitable for this specific job.

“The wacker plates were lightweight at only 100kg, and the general feeling was that a simpler, smaller, and lighter crane could be developed to suit their needs,” the manufacturer said.

Liaising with Mackworth, who were responsible for converting the Daf LF and Iveco Daily vehicles, Penny Hydraulics’ in-house crane designers created a compact crane design. The crane, named the MC250/1, weighs only 20kg and is suitable for loading wacker plates, as well as other plant equipment, signage, or chemical drums where space is limited.

The new crane model can be mounted inside many pod-style mobile workshops or on truck headboards between the cab and the body. It features a high-speed hoist and has a maximum working capacity of 250kg, more than enough for handling the wacker plates. Available in 12V and 24V versions, the crane operates from the vehicle battery.

To date, twenty cranes have been installed, and the vehicles are now in operation throughout the UK. Andy Kent, General Manager at Mackworth, commented:
“The new crane design really ticks all the boxes. It’s compact and easy to use. We expect Eurovia to see an increase in both productivity and operator safety as the cranes go into operation. Installation is easy — we can either bolt or weld the corner bracket directly onto the headboard, and the crane simply hangs off the bracket.”