When most people hear the word ‘crane’, they tend to broadly define it as a device that’s able to lift things. While this is of course true, cranes come in a bewildering array of shapes, sizes and functionalities. There are also an equally bewildering number of terms used for the different types of crane types … Read more
You’ve probably already heard of Elon Musk’s Tesla electric car company, but have you heard of the Nikola Motor Company yet? If you haven’t, you no doubt will in the not-too-distant future. Although both companies are named after the famous inventor Nikola Tesla, the two companies are unrelated. The reason that the Nikola Motor Company … Read more
AUTONOMOUS DRIVERLESS CARS To begin answering the question, let’s first take a quick of where we’re at in the car industry. Although most people have heard of Elon Musk’s well-known electric car company Tesla, there is still much confusion surrounding the reality of his cars being able to drive themselves in the future without the … Read more
CRANES BEFORE THE STEAM ERA At the pinnacle of today’s modern mobile crane design we have obvious examples such as HIAB‘s hydraulic, truck mounted crane; but what about the pre-diesel, pre-hydraulic days? What source of power did they use to lift such heavy loads? Well, according to modern-day scholars, the very first use of cranes can … Read more
With wind energy becoming more widespread across the globe, the key components that are used to generate it need to be transported to their final destination somehow. For land-based wind farms, specially adapted low loader trucks are often used to carry out the task but for offshore wind farms, something a bit different is needed … Read more
After penning a recent blog about the biggest truck in the world, we couldn’t resist finding out more about heavy-duty cranes and just how much the strongest crane in the world is able to lift. The clear winner in the Heaviest Crane Lift Ever category turns out to be the ‘Taisun’ crane at Yantai Raffles … Read more
Ton or Tonne? – It’s kinda like one of those “You say tomay-toe, I say tomar-toe” type scenarios, only slightly more confusing! Although everyone knows what a tomato is, the word is pronounced slightly differently depending on whereabouts you live in the world. Conversely, the weight measurements of ‘ ton‘ and ‘tonne‘ are pronounced the same whether you live … Read more
As everyone knows, the haulage industry is heavily reliant on diesel engines to power their trucks. While electric and hybrid cars are becoming more widespread on UK roads, it doesn’t look likely that you’ll see electric-powered rigid and artic. trucks on our roads anytime soon. Aside from the sheer size (and weight) of the batteries … Read more
It’s unlikely that you’ll ever see one of these monsters parked in your local car park and, if you’re wondering what it is, it’s the BelAZ 75710 and it’s officially the biggest truck in the world. More about the BelAZ 75710 Made in Belarus, this enormous lorry is classed as a “haul truck” and belongs … Read more
Back in the olden days, most people had heard of a skeleton key but nowadays… not so much. In short, yes, skeleton keys are real and they do exist in various guises. The reason fewer people have heard of the term “skeleton key” in more modern times is that they’re simply not that effective anymore … Read more