Award winning lifting equipment manufacturer Penny Hydraulics have been selected to supply truck cranes to GAP Hire Solutions, the UK’s leading independent equipment hirer. With 8 divisions and over 130 locations across the UK, GAP offers an unrivalled range of equipment and tools for hire, from a half-inch drill to a mobile welfare unit.
GAP’s goal is to become the UK’s most innovative hirer and the company prides themselves on a can-do attitude – listening and working with customers to get the job done. Offering a nationwide network of depots, today GAP employs over 1,600 people. It’s been a superb year for the company with highlights including; a £1.5M, 2.5 year deal with Selco Builders Warehouse; the expansion of their South East & South West network, as well as a record year in turnover.
GAP’s Transport Manager, Willie Crawford initially contacted Penny Hydraulics back in January 2016 for assistance specifying mechanical handling equipment for the GAP fleet. Willie explains “initially we needed 7 lorry loader cranes for our delivery vehicle fleet. We use these vehicles for loading small pieces of plant and road plates on and off the trucks.” The PH270 hydraulic crane was the specified crane model for GAP’s 32 tonne trucks. Willie continues “the PH270 has a remarkably low self-weight from only 225kg and is really powerful…fully rated it can lift more than 2000kg. It has a long reach too, at full extension it is 4.2 metres long, so this gives us both the reach and power we need across the board.”
Versatile & easy to operate, the crane is designed to be handled by a single operator and is used across various market sectors including highways, utilities, local authorities, distribution, delivery, and hire companies, as well as the building and construction industry. Smooth & precise load handling is achieved through hydraulic control which prevents the need to access the bed of the vehicle, whilst proportional controls ensure precise and measured movements.
The cranes are high strength & durable yet compact & lightweight. The PH270’s are manufactured from the latest high quality steels helping to keep vehicle emissions low, maximise fuel economy and payload. The lorry loaders are a sound investment as they eliminate the need to use excess time and resource, or resort to manual labour.
The cranes, which are electro-hydraulically powered, run off the vehicle battery in 24V and are supplied with an integrated motor pump kit with an 11 litre oil tank. All cranes were purchased on a supply-only basis, meaning that the cranes were dispatched from Penny Hydraulics to different commercial vehicle bodybuilders across the UK for installation.
Business has continued between the two companies into the final quarter of 2016. Willie elaborates “The latest investment we’ve made is actually the largest truck crane within Penny’s range. The PH510 has a maximum working capacity of 3,300kg and will lift up to 1030kg at its full reach of 4.7m metres, making it a really flexible piece of plant, perfect for all the different types of load handling operations we encounter.” The PH510 is a PTO driven crane with a self-weight from just 465kg and will be fitted to a 16 tonne DAF truck on the Isle of Man. Further enquiries are ongoing as new cranes have been specified for use on 26 tonne DAF wagon and drag commercial vehicles.
The collaboration between Penny and GAP was very much a meeting of similar minds. Established by Gordon Anderson in 1969 in Linwood, Renfrewshire, GAP, like Penny Hydraulics remains a family owned business where family values such as trust, honesty and integrity are crucial to the way the company operates. Willie explains “GAP is a family owned business with a strong commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities to the workforce. Family values such as trust, integrity and honesty are paramount throughout all of GAP’s nationwide operations.”
Jess Penny, General Manager of Sales and a third generation Penny family member, expands on this as she comments “we believe that family run businesses have the edge when it comes to quality, service and exclusivity, and this recent collaboration has been an excellent opportunity for our like-minded businesses to come together. We look forward to continuing a close working relationship with GAP moving forwards.”
Penny Hydraulics (www.pennyhydraulics.com) carry out all the functions of a fully integrated company with design, manufacturing, quality control, aftersales support and nationwide service operation. The company has grown to become the UK’s leading lorry-loader crane manufacturer and currently operates in 22 countries worldwide. Penny Hydraulics are partnered with industry’s leading professional and trade organisations and are approved commercial vehicle converters for vehicle mounted lifting equipment for major vehicle manufacturers including Renault, Nissan and Volkswagen. Commercial vehicle body builders worldwide from USA to Australia and Hungary to Benelux, choose to partner with Penny Hydraulics to sell lifting applications all over the world.
