History

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Since 1953, Crane Carrier Company (CRANE) has evolved as a leading manufacturer of specialized heavy-duty mobile equipment. CRANE’S line of chassis related products has included "Over the Road" Tractors, custom built heavy-duty truck chassis for vocational markets that included waste collection, ready-mix concrete, material handling, logging, oil well servicing, work-over rigs, custom carrier chassis for water well drilling and mining equipment and terminal tractors.

The company began in 1946 by modifying, reinforcing and re-manufacturing surplus military vehicles for the construction and petroleum industries. As the company grew with their markets' requirements, modifying commercial and military chassis became less suitable for their customers needs, and the company began designing and manufacturing their own custom chassis for the mobile crane market. The CRANE name is well established within the custom heavy-truck industry with 50 years of manufacturing heritage, and remains synonymous for custom-built chassis manufactured with reliability and rugged durability.

Current markets for CRANE products are specialized chassis for Waste Collection, Construction, Mobile Drilling, Mining, Terminal Tractors for Commercial, Military and other applications where reliable heavy-duty chassis equipment is essential. These products are developed in conjunction with, and marketed directly to end users and original equipment manufacturers through regional sales representatives and dealer distributors who sell directly to the end users. CRANE’S parent company operates a network of retail parts stores and Parts Distribution Centers, (PDC’s) which sell an extensive line of original equipment replacement parts and components to the heavy-duty vehicle after-market.

For over 50 years, CRANE has maintained a distinctive reputation as a leading producer of custom built heavy-duty carriers, designed for specific job-site applications with efficient operation under extreme on-and-off road conditions. Each of CRANE’S chassis products are engineered to fulfill special or "extreme" operational service requirements which are not otherwise met by mass producers of Class 8 trucks, primarily designed for on-highway service. This traditional design philosophy combined with current emphasis on product development and expanding marketing activities served as the basis for continued improvement during the seventies, eighties and early nineties.

For example, CRANE had pioneered the development of their Century chassis during the 1960's as a vehicle designed for the specialized requirements of on & off highway ready-mix concrete carriers and materials hauling industries. Prior to 1973 over 80% of total chassis product unit sales were for various construction applications and; therefore, a product diversification program was initiated in 1973 to reduce dependency on traditional on-and-off highway construction markets.

The Centurion, was the first vehicle of its kind specifically designed for the waste management industry applications and was introduced in 1974. In 1979, CRANE introduced a new chassis, the Low Entry Centurion, designed specifically for the largest segment of the waste management market - residential refuse collection. As its name implies, the vehicle features a step-in entry of only 18 inches from ground to cab floor on both sides of the vehicle, less than half the floor height of most commercial cabs. The lower step height and operational dual-steer/ drive controls significantly reduced physical strain on the collection crew and, as a result, increased overall efficiency and productivity. The Centurion, or better known today as the LET and LET2 continues to be one of CRANE’S most dynamic growth products. The LET2 continues to experience rapidly increasing acceptance because of its advanced features, including the ability to accommodate all types of front, rear and automated side loading refuse hauling bodies without chassis modification.

The refuse market has remained the company's main focus for the past 25 years becoming one of the industry's leaders by producing innovative, reliable and durable products. CRANE pioneered low entry dual steer refuse cabs in 1979, followed by their Integrated product line. The company's customer base is largely made up of large municipalities seeking durable products that display reliability in high cycle daily use providing safe operation and increased payload capacity. Currently CRANE manufactures heavy-duty refuse chassis products used in extremely demanding high-cycle and severe service vocational applications.

In 1976, CRANE introduced the Corsair oil and gas well servicing work over rig - their first major venture in the manufacture of a totally integrated package, including the chassis and "upper" service unit. Corsair rigs currently remain in service around the world, and in major oil and gas producing fields along the Gulf Coast, Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent regions. Based on job-site experience and manufacturing improvements associated with the introduction of the Corsair rig, CRANE developed a "standardized" design which not only satisfied most oil and gas well maintenance and work over service needs, but also offered custom options to meet their special requirements.

As illustrated by CRANE’S vast history, the company has been and remains involved in the development and manufacture of custom heavy truck chassis for several unique specialty markets. The company has successfully developed products for the refuse collection and transportation industry, ready-mix, front discharge mixer, dump truck, heavy-duty over the road tractors, maxi-haulers, oil field equipment, school bus, terminal tractor and military markets.

CRANE maintains a well deserved reputation for building maintainability and reliability into each of their custom chassis and refuse products for severe service and specialized applications. CRANE has developed several products that currently lead the refuse industry in technical innovation, while providing the industry with more reliable and user friendly products increasing both productivity and payload capacity.

CRANE’S current customer base is largely made up of large municipalities seeking durable products that display reliability in "high cycle" daily use providing safe operation and increased payload capacity. Currently over 90% of CRANE’S product sales are for various waste collection and transportation applications; therefore, a product diversification program was initiated in 1995 to reduce dependency on both traditional and refuse markets.

In 1995, CRANE’S OEM Sales Group identified and established several new heavy truck markets for CRANE'S entry. The Terminal Tractor market was identified by CRANE as a market the company could gainfully participate by developing a variation of their existing chassis products, and integrating current proprietary technology found in CRANE products. The successful combination of existing product and technology has developed a competitive product line in a market that had seen very little product development or operating enhancements, primarily due to the lack of competition within the market place. Increasing demands from the container handling industry for heavier load carrying capabilities provided the ideal platform for CRANE’S entry and philosophy of building robust, extreme duty prime movers. Today, CRANE offers a full line of EPA/DOT Certified On-highway terminal tractors, and are a major supplier of "ship to shore" tractors for the U.S. Army.

CRANE plans to focus on the heavy-duty, Class 8 truck chassis segment of the Refuse market with further development of the LET cab and chassis platform.

In 2000, CRANE introduced the all new and improved LET2 and LCF chassis in with a redesigned cab and chassis featuring new technology with improved aesthetics and ergonomics. The new LET2 and LCF cab is designed to enhance driver comfort and efficiency with a 5" deeper cabin, tilt & telescoping steering column(s), a new and updated HVAC system with a more ergonomic dash housing, control locations and instrumentation layout. The new LET2 cab & chassis design with a remote mounted high capacity radiator provides the occupants with increased interior room and significant reductions in noise and heat generated by the drive train, while providing the capacity required to cool tomorrows high horsepower diesel engines with higher heat rejections to meet EPA emission standards.

New variations of the LCF and LET2 chassis will be introduced throughout the next decade to the refuse industry, making it one of the most sought after vehicles in the market place. The new LET2 and LCF chassis configuration will enhance all aspects and phases of the refuse collection process.

CRANE was traditionally a vertically integrated company with excess capacity to design, manufacture and assemble custom heavy truck chassis for extreme service in special applications. CRANE has recently adopted a more horizontal approach to manufacturing, by identifying key "supply partners" to produce component parts for the company’s assembly operation. CRANE currently possesses the engineering and manufacturing capacity to build from the ground up, with cab, electrical, light and heavy fabrication and production line assembly. CRANE currently builds the entire truck chassis specific to their customer’s needs and vocational applications.

CRANE has the people with experience, engineering ability and dedication to develop new chassis products and provide the necessary support to make the difference. CRANE remains small enough to serve our niche markets well, and big enough to make a significant difference. CRANE chassis are designed to interface with our customer’s needs, products and specific market vocations.

Products produced by CRANE are recognized as top of the line in all market segments in which the company participates. A quality assurance program establishes policy, procedure and work instruction in each process of the manufacturing operation. Inspection and reporting of quality processes are included throughout all facets of the manufacturing and assembly processes.

CRANE is currently located at 1925 North Sheridan in Tulsa, OK., and maintains a 500,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Manufacturing is made up of numerous and focused sub-assembly operations that include but are not limited to frame weldment, frame drilling, frame assembly, paint, sheet metal fabrication, cab weldment, cab assembly, electric harness design and fabrication, engine build-up, heavy metal fabrication, air system plumbing, axle build up and installation, final assembly, quality control and inspection processes.

The products CRANE produces and the inherent requirements for customizing our products to the end user’s need, requires extraordinary capability in the integration of structural, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical and motive power into a specialized self-propelled wheeled product. This capability has been accumulated and carefully cultivated over the past 50 years.