utt61 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Another newly joined member.. I am a civy engineer currently working for the MoD. I have a long-standing interest in MVs of all types although i don't own any at the moment - the nearest thing to an MV I currently own is a 1961 ex-MoS (RoF) Iron Fairy 6 mobile crane, which is in regular use. I have a particular interest in Matadors and Unipowers (especially the Hannibal and Forester types). One day I will own one! Cheers, Roger (Dorset) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Welcome in! Be prepared for all the silly questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil munga Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 wellcome ,, as tony b says "Be prepared for all the silly questions" well I'll ask the first :-D your Iron Fairy 6 mobile crane , does it have the large steel discs to protect the tyres ,I remember one as a yard crane at an engineering works , it had a low front cab and you controlled it from there , dont think the boom would slew as fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utt61 Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 wellcome ,, as tony b says "Be prepared for all the silly questions" well I'll ask the first :-D your Iron Fairy 6 mobile crane , does it have the large steel discs to protect the tyres ,I remember one as a yard crane at an engineering works , it had a low front cab and you controlled it from there , dont think the boom would slew as fixed The purpose of the steel discs on the wheels of some mobile cranes is to limit the compression of the tyre under load (and also I guess to minimise the risk of capsize in the event of a tyre failure). These were never fitted to Fairies, but were fairly common on Coles cranes and similar. My Fairy is one of the originals, built by the British Hoist and Crane Company of Compton, Newbury, in 1961. It is the type with the jib fixed to a pivot just behind the cab and two large hydraulic rams just in front of the windscreen which not only raise the jib but also, when extended independently, allow for 45 degrees of slew. The benefit of this compared to a 360 slew is that 1) it was far cheaper to build (no slewing ring etc) and 2) it is in theory impossible to slew far enough sideways to turn the crane over. BH&CC was eventually taken over by Jones Cranes and the original type of Iron Fairy was superseded by a fully-slewing "Jones Iron Fairy" in a variety of sizes. The originals remained very popular and even to this day are quite sought-after by hire companies and machinery movers (they are deal for use in confined spaces). They are (if properly maintained) fully road legal, although with a top speed of about 20mph, no suspension at all, and tyre pressures of 115psi, you really don't want to go far in one. They can of course travel with the full rated load (upt o 6.5 tons) on the hook as well. All in al a very handy piece of kit. There is a Wynn's one, identical to mine, in the background of a photo in post #21 on the Wynn's thread on this excellent forum. I have attached a couple of photos of my Fairy working on a recent construction job. In these photos the jib is fully extended (23') and in the second pic it is at full right slew. Fully raised on full extension the max height of the hook is about 24'. Thanks both for the welcome and for the interest in the Fairy, by the way. Roger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Interesting beast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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