Big B Crane Buys Terex HC 285 Crawler
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September 9, 2015 - Big B Crane, Burleson, Texas, took delivery of a 285-ton Terex HC 285 crawler crane in late August, adding to its growing fleet of crawler cranes. Currently, the company has 25 crawlers, with the HC 285 now the biggest among its offerings. Crane & Rigging Hot Line discussed the purchase and plans for the new crane with President Daniel Basden.
Big B Crane's Terex HC 285
at work in Texas
According to Basden, Big B wasn’t previously seen as a company that offered big cranes. “We’ve got a couple of 250-ton class crawlers in the fleet, and we’re seeing quite a bit of demand for something the 275- to 300-ton range,” he said. “When Danny Eastep [sales representative] and Scott-Macon Equipment approached us about giving this new machine a shot, we decided it might be time to get a little bigger.”
The HC 285 has a 300-ft. maximum boom length and 376-ft. tip height. Maximum load moment is 1,294 tonne-meters.
Basden said this crane primarily will be used on commercial construction projects, such as tilt wall, precast concrete, and large steel erection jobs. Despite the price of oil declining, which is affecting some crane work in Texas, Basden said: “Commercial construction and highway work seem to be doing fine. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the Austin/San Antonio corridor are doing well.”
Following Big B Crane’s recent HC 285 purchase, Basden said the company doesn't currently have plans to buy any other new cranes. He noted that the company is content “that the range of equipment we can offer to our customers is one of the best in the state.”
