September 30 - Ainscough Crane Hire has reported consistent demand for its recently increased fleet of heavy lift crawler cranes, writes Charlotte Matheson.

Since ordering six crawler cranes in April 2009, Ainscough stated that of the three models that have been delivered, each has been on hire continuously since its arrival in the UK.

Crawler cranes with a 500 - 1,250 tonne capacity are particularly suited to large construction projects for many reasons. They can travel with a suspended load and relocate on site without the need for disassembly/reassembly. These cranes can carry out one-off lifts i.e. bridge lifts and offshore loadouts that are normally carried out with a conventional lattice boom truck crane. 

Neil Partridge, managing director of Ainscough Crane Hire commented: "Our belief that there would be consistent call for heavy crawler cranes has been proved correct; demand from the energy and infrastructure sectors is most promising. Given the significant investment that heavy crawler cranes require, it's not surprising that there is a shortage of these models both here in the UK and overseas."