Jones Cranes.

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IBH
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Jones Cranes.

Post #1 by IBH » Sat May 10, 2008 2:01 pm

Two JONES cranes don't know anything else about them or the company :cry:
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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #2 by jcb3cMk3 » Sat May 10, 2008 2:44 pm

Lord, what happened in the 70's and 80's in the UK. All the big plant manufacturers disappeared or were acquired

Jones
Coles
Priestman
Hymac
Ruston Bucyrus
NCK
Wetheral
Bray
Sanderson

What was it?

Crap management
Poor design
Greedy unions
lazy workers


martyn williams
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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #3 by martyn williams » Sat May 10, 2008 5:56 pm

Done a fair bit of work on Jones KL44 cranes when I was an apprentice with BR,they were kept very busy assembling trackwork such as points and 60 foot track sections.I found them reliable but heavy on the steering.The were powered by a Lister diesel.There is a KL15 still earning its keep up this way.It is used on drain shafts and pipe jacking jobs.The firm that owns it also has three 22 RB's that are still in use.If I am down around Barry dock I will take some photo's of the kit there.

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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #4 by IBH » Sat May 10, 2008 8:14 pm

I forgot to mention that the cranes in the above photos are equipped with magnets to handle the steel sections lying in the foreground.
I have some photos somewhere of a Jones crawler crane but I can't track down the photos at the moment and i've got a dreadful feeling I might not find them either :cry:

Jones still seem to be going:
http://www.ironfairycranes.co.uk/


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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #5 by essexpete » Sat May 10, 2008 10:09 pm

Lord, what happened in the 70's and 80's in the UK. All the big plant manufacturers disappeared or were acquired

Jones
Coles
Priestman
Hymac
Ruston Bucyrus
NCK
Wetheral
Bray
Sanderson

What was it?

Crap management
Poor design
Greedy unions
lazy workers


Add to that Matbro and Muir Hill
What happened to Smith dragline/cranes and Motor Rail dumpers?

A quote from a former Weatherill service man was that in 1966 the UK imported 15% of manufactured goods.
By 1986 this had risen to approx 90%.
One major problem of the 80s was high interest rates which had a double neg wammy. Money expensive to borrow for re-investing in improvements and a strong GBP making exports less competitive.
In IMHO there might have been a lack of R & D, up-dating and improvements when the opportunities were there.
Mr Bamford and son seemed to have been one of the few UK companies to overcome these problems.


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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #6 by martyn williams » Sat May 10, 2008 10:26 pm

I think the reason that JCB has had so much success is that they listen to their customers and have a very good PR department.Not forgetting a good product. Its a shame to see our manufacturing base shrink.I think this was due to poor investment in new product range,bad industrial relations, and the short sighted management of those companies.
This country was great at inventing things but not backing inventors with hard cash.Look what happened to the crawler tractors,these were developed in Lincoln in the UK, picked up by a Mr Holt & Mr Best ( as you know went on to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co) because there was not that much interest by UK companies,the rest is history.


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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #7 by Jeremy Rowland » Mon May 25, 2009 9:02 pm

Well Jones cranes were still manufacturing in 1981 just look at the manufactures plate in this JIF6 MK2.
I can remember that C.Penns scrapyard used two Jones KL44 cranes fitted with magnets until they found out that using a Hymac was a lot easier and faster.

Jeremy
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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #8 by john345me » Mon May 25, 2009 9:05 pm

these cranes have never looked that safe to me :dizzy:


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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #9 by Nick Drew » Mon May 25, 2009 9:20 pm

john345me wrote:these cranes have never looked that safe to me :dizzy:


Nah me neither John! :o

It all looks rather dodgy to me when these things are working :?

Nick ;)


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Re: Jones Cranes.

Post #10 by john345me » Mon May 25, 2009 9:47 pm

Nick Drew wrote:
john345me wrote:these cranes have never looked that safe to me :dizzy:


Nah me neither John! :o

It all looks rather dodgy to me when these things are working :?

Nick ;)

think i would need built in toilet to drive one :lol: :lol:


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