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Carry Cranes
Carry Cranes also known as Yard Cranes or Deck Cranes have one single common factor, they are all designed to pick up and carry loads short distances, with these units the crane operator able to move the whole crane unit under its own power, from within the crane operating position.

These units were designed for yard or factory work and not meant to be driven distances on roads. Until the invention of the steel container all goods were moved about as in small packages from one to five tons needing many small cranes for handling.

The first real significant yard crane Coles produced was the 3 Ton Diesel Mobile Yard Crane. This was essentially the same layout as their steam crane only without the steam, the weight saving meant this unit could be placed onto small rubber covered cast wheels. It was also made as a rail version.

The main breakthrough as far as the Coles Crane business was concerned was the development of the EMA. With this design they won an air ministry the contract and continued making the same basic unit for the next twenty years.


The EMA had three main things going for it. It was electro mechanical, using a petrol or diesel engine to generate electricity and then electric motors to move the crane around. This lead to very smooth handling and a simple rugged machine easy to repair. It also had a patented reversing steering control so the operator could steer correctly which ever way the crane was pointing.


They got the contract despite the fact that the ministry had ask for a three wheel unit which was how most Carry cranes were configured at the time, using the body to turn and move.
Large government contracts for WW2 meant Coles had to devote all there capacity into building the single EMA unit. This unit was produced in their thousands and was made not only as a stand alone unit but fitted to suitable lorry units, mainly the AEC Matador (left) truck and Thornycroft Amazon (right).

Although this basic unit was refined and went though to the Mark 7 it was still the same unit and no development had taken place on alternate units. At the end of the war this left Coles with a crane no one wanted as there were thousands of these ex military units still around. There was also a need for bigger and longer reach machines.

The need for greater loads and longer reach meant the cantilever jib was no longer suitable and so the strut jib was introduced. This was anchored at the front of the machine and supported by cables at the rear of the unit giving the jib a stable triangular support frame. It also used the weight of the machine as a counterweight allowing greater lift capacity. As the Stalwart right.
Better material and design allowed this lattice jib Carry Crane configuration to be increased gradually in size form the Adonis (left) at 15 ton to the 60 ton R600. (right) It also allowed the jib to be lengthened in sections up 30m on the bugger machines.

The small carry crane was to be updated in the seventies with the design of a hydraulic extending boom machine the Hydromobile in 1978. (right) 		Although the carry crane itself was to decline in popularity it was to morph into the small general purpose Speedcrane. (left)


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