Don't be caught off balance

By calculating the total weight of the crane vehicle, Hiab’s VSLPLUS stability feature optimises lifting capacity with maintained safety, even in cramped spaces or in front of the truck.

Turning up at a site just to find it too cramped to fully extend the crane vehicle stabiliser legs to get optimal capacity and safety is an unwelcome surprise for crane operators.

The assignment may prove time-consuming and hard to carry out efficiently – or even at all. Either way, it is bad for business. Now Hiab’s VSLPLUS stability feature puts an end to this challenge.

In the late 2000s, the European Union took action against incidents where crane vehicles overturned and put the operator, bystanders, nearby buildings and the vehicle itself in harms way. The European Union Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC makes it mandatory for crane manufacturers to install a system that supervises the stability on the entire crane vehicle.

Hiab’s solution, the VSL (Variable Stability Logic) safety feature, monitors the position of and pressure on each stabiliser leg. It automatically regulates crane capacity in relation to actual stability during operation and shuts the crane down if it enters the danger zone.

Going one step further, Hiab has launched VSLPLUS, which is the perfect add-on for the HIAB X-HiPro heavy crane range.

“VSLPLUS maintains the same high safety level as the original VSL, but improves the lifting capacity,” says Lennart Andersson, System Manager, Crane Controls, Hiab. “The feature takes advantage of the total weight of the crane vehicle. The heavier the entire truck, the better the counterweight, which makes it possible to optimise the lifting capacity, even when the stabiliser legs aren’t fully extended.”

VSLPLUS shines when working in confined areas, where a traditional crane can’t work safely at its full lifting potential. Another example is lifting in front of the truck; usually a critical operation.

Andersson says that, “With VSLPLUS and extra load on the cargo bed, or in the load hook working close to the truck, you can carry out tricky assignments, such as in narrow city streets. It simply opens up for more business for our customers.”