Get FinancingBorn To Lift: A Brief History Of PALFINGER Knuckle Boom Cranes
PALFINGER’s roots stretch back to 1932 when Richard Palfinger opened a workshop for building and repairing vehicle bodies, tippers, and agricultural trailers. In 1959, the company built its first crane. Five years later, Richard Palfinger’s son, Hubert, started specializing in truck-mounted hydraulic cranes, which soon kicked off what the company refers to as “The Crane Era.”
PALFINGER, based in Bergheim, Austria, began serial production of cranes in 1968. Over the next 16 years, the company obtained patents for its many innovations, including a mast planting grab in 1973, a hinged main boom in 1976, a cable drum crab in 1977, a compensated overload cut-off and trailing console in 1981, and several patents related to extension booms throughout that period. The hinged boom in 1976 is particularly important, because it’s the technology that makes knuckle boom cranes able to fold up into a more compact form for travel and storage.
Product & Feature Highlights
PALFINGER launched its PALIFT line of hookloaders in 1996 and its Truck Mounted Forklift in 1998 before taking the company public in 1999 around the same it delivered its 100,000th crane. The company followed this up with the release of its Performance crane series in 2001, its lineup of Advantage and Compact truck-mounted cranes in 2004, and the PK 50002-EH crane in 2008.
PALFINGER also released several new features for its cranes throughout this time, including the Active Oscillation Suppression System (AOS) in 1998, KTL coating technology in 2003, the Dual Power System (DPS) in 2005, which was followed by DPS-Plus in 2009, and the High Performance Stability Control (HPSC) system in 2011. Iterations of these features are still available today on the company’s knuckle boom cranes.
PALFINGER In The United States
PALFINGER’s presence in the United States began in 1991 when a company named Tiffin Loader Crane, based in Tiffin, Ohio, became the exclusive dealer for its products in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Tiffin started selling truck-mounted articulating cranes in the 1970s around the same time that Fontaine Truck Equipment Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and Omaha Standard Truck Equipment Company in Council Bluffs, Iowa, established new distribution centers.
PALFINGER would go on to acquire Tiffin Loader Crane in 2000 and open an installation facility in Ohio in 2001. Five years later, Omaha Standard Truck Equipment Company and Fontaine Truck Equipment Company merged to become Omaha Standard Distribution, which PALFINGER acquired in 2008. In 2010, PALFINGER merged those two business units into one and renamed it PalFleet Truck Equipment Company. This gave the company locations not just in Birmingham, Council Bluffs, and Tiffin, but also in Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; and Nashville, Tennessee.
PALFINGER Knuckle Booms Cranes
PALFINGER’s more recent lineup of mounted and un-mounted knuckle boom cranes consists of the TEC (Technology) series, SLD (Solid) series, PALFINGER Compact (PC) series, Corner Mount (CM) series, and PALFINGER Wallboard (PW) series. Each series serves a specific purpose or market segment with the TEC series standing as the high-performance, premium lineup and the more affordable SLD series serving as a solid balance between performance and price. The PC series features small cranes, the CM series is for use on service body vehicles, and PW series is “built specifically for the North American building materials market,” according to PALFINGER.
Popular models include the PK15500, PK20002, and PK32080. The PK32080, for example, has a maximum lifting capacity of 18,740 pounds (8,500 kilograms), maximum outreach of 81.67 feet (25 meters) with a fly jib, and a width of only 8.25 feet (2.5 meters) when folded.
Helpful Technologies
PALFINGER has developed a number of advanced technologies over the years, including KTL coating to protect the surface of the crane and improve durability; the AOS system, which helps absorb shock and vibration to keep operators safe; and a Radio Remote Control (RRC) feature that makes it possible to operate cranes from a distance. PALFINGER crane owners can also take advantage of the company’s PALSOFT suite of services to perform remote diagnostics, access technical data for specific models, and much more.
Expand Your Fleet
You will find a huge selection of new and used PALFINGER cranes for sale on CraneTrader.com, including a number of mounted and un-mounted knuckle boom cranes.