Having already established himself as a crane driver for a local crane company on the Gold Coast, Jon Morrish knew it was time to invest in his own crane to serve the emerging building developments amid Queensland’s most popular stretch of coastline.

“The majority of our business will be working on 3 to 6 story apartments and high-rise projects that are continually being developed amid the coastal fringe of the Gold Coast,” said Jon Morrish.

“My new 4-wheel-drive Tadano is perfect for the sandy-based worksites and the hilly terrain found on most local projects. The 4-wheel-steering capabilities also make my Tadano perfect for crawling into steep basement sites to begin construction for building foundations.”

The new Surf City Cranes recruit is a 1997 model Tadano TR-200M-4 Rough Terrain crane that Jon Morrish had sought because of previous experience with the same Tadano model at his previous work.

“I was already familiar with the Tadano ‘long boom roughie’ at my previous job and I knew of its versatility, economic operation and time saving design,” said Jon Morrish.

“My other choice was a Franna Crane, however the Tadano (TR-200M-4) is bigger, and more sought after on construction projects, and most importantly has a 32 metre full powered boom, as opposed to the previous models wrap-around fly which takes an extra 15 to 20 minutes for setup.”

“The rough-terrain capability also means that my Tadano is more practical because I can back it up on a rough site, rather than having to park offsite or on the road like a truck crane. I can also pick and carry over 4 tonne on the hook.” said Jon Morrish.

Following an extensive internet search for the models in question, Jon Morrish concluded that the most cost effective way to purchase a crane in the time frame he needed was to look to James Equipment.

“I originally thought it would be easier to import a used Tadano crane direct from Japan, but the logistics involved proved to be too costly and time consuming,” Jon Morrish explained.

“James Equipment had the crane in stock which also happened to be my colour preference of silver which will stand out amongst the flood of red and yellow cranes here on the Gold Coast.”

If the future success of Surf City Cranes can be measured by the amount of enthusiasm Jon Morrish and wife Sharon have for the new business, then it is more than likely the dream of a second Surf City crane will soon become a reality.

“With a new business, first we have to crawl before we can walk. But I believe that being an owner operator means better levels of commitment, customer satisfaction and greater levels of service to all projects,” says Jon Morrish
Establishing a solid reputation over 15 years, James Equipment has a broad knowledge base of crane engineering and a large network of international suppliers to draw upon. Serving the crane industry right across Australia, Melbourne-based James Equipment has an excellent range of used cranes in stock from international manufacturers including Demag, Kato, Liebherr, and Kobelco.

For further information on this story contact:

Jonathan Morrish
Surf City Cranes
Gold Coast
Tel: 0402 269 535

or

Brendan James
Managing Director, James Equipment
Tel (03) 9369 6823
Fax (03) 9369 1777
Email info@jamesequipment.com.au