Road Legal National NBT60 Hits Pennsylvania Streets

Enlarge Image Bauman Crane's National NBT60 makes a lift at a Pennsylvania church with its 128-ft. boom extended.

May 27, 2015 - Chalfont, Pa.-based taxi crane company Bauman Crane recently became the first owner of a National NBT60 boom truck in Pennsylvania. The crane company, which got its start in 1965 by former owner Frank Bauman, worked with Darin D’Ascanio of Stephenson Equipment to build and deliver the crane.

 

Although Bauman Crane’s fleet has more than a dozen National boom trucks, current Bauman Crane owner Dave Kemmerer said: “This crane was needed by Bauman for a while. We had an 80-ton crane previously, but it required special permits to move and was travel restricted to certain hours of the day.”

 

When Bauman Crane contacted Stephenson about a road legal boom truck, D’Ascanio, Stephenson’s territory rep in the Chalfont area, and Steve Tucci, Stephenson’s sales manager, went to work with National Crane and Peterbilt on a design.

 

“The build on the Peterbilt chassis was a first for Hunter Peterbilt with a specific axle and steering design that worked for both the engineers at National and the engineers at Peterbilt,” Tucci said. “It provided Bauman with exactly what they needed.”

 

Enlarge Image The crane with Dave Kemmerer (left) and Frank Bauman.

The crane has seen many jobs so far. “With the NBT60, we can accomplish lifts with better reach (128ft.) and no permitting, and we can travel at all times of the day,” Kemmerer said. “This allows us to be on the job site when our customers want us to be there. Not having to permit for travel is a huge asset for us.”

 

Kemmerer noted a recent job completed for a local church where the NBT60 gave them the reach and lift they needed for the long trusses being set. “Most of our fleet is 127ft. boom length—that is really the magic number for us,” he said. “it is what has put us on the map with the tree work and the quick taxi crane-type work we perform. To be able to step up to the 60-ton class of the NBT60 without sacrificing boom length has been a real plus; it was essential. Because cranes of this class do not normally have that kind of reach, set-up time is reduced, jobs get done quicker, and more options are available to us.”