Loaded at the Pettibone plant in Beraga, Michigan today, headed to Denver, Colorado for Monday morning. I was not aware Pettibone was still around until today. Glad to see they didn't get gobbled up by some big conglomerate. Last picture is the newly engineered telehandler line. I have a Swing Loader going to the Union Pacific Railroad station in downtown Denver. It has a swing of about 180 degrees and it has a magnet on this particular one.
Hell, I never knew they were made in Michigan......lived here my whole life. Guess I don't get out enough. Lol.... Ed
I used to pass that plant several times a year on my way through to Houghton and back. There's also a Terex/Genie plant up the road (or used to be, dunno if it's still there)
At one time they had a factory not far from me in Rome NY. I also thought they had ceased to exist many years ago!
Im a dealer for them in Ok. I took a tour of that Baraga plant about 7 years ago. Would you believe it if I told you they didn't have an overhead crane inside their assembly building? NOPE! They used an old Pettibone 30 rough terrain crane that would go in and out of the building when heavy lifts were done. It was just crazy to see.
Pettibone makes some nice machines. however, they are just a shadow of what they used to be. At one time they built whole portable crushing plants also. I think that part was sold or shut down in the early to mid 80's.
Well the only Pettibone I had direct connection with was a 1965 Multikrane Model 25, Hercules six cylinder gas engine and a Funk Reverse-o-matic transmission/converter and I believe it was a Funk range transmission/drop box. Rebuilt the engine and transmissions and used it around the quarry at once in a while ship it to other plants to do various lifting jobs. A real modern machine just like some of those exotic cars they sell these day what with the four wheel steering and four wheel drive!
You are correct. A few years ago they merged with Barko and they haven't been the same since. The dealer support has dwindled to it barely being worth it. I have been with then since 1997 and back in the day they were a much better manufacturer. I remember them saying at the dealer meetings back then that they would ALWAYS be made in the USA, and the mainframes and booms have been made in China since 2011. Don't get me wrong...….they build great equipment, its just the constant management changes can never get them established on firm ground.
We still have a lot of those cranes around here, parts can be a bearcat sometimes. Ill post a few pics of what I deal in.
Ok, I guess I don't have any Carylift pics on this new computer system yet. I'll get some when I get a chance.