Jones Cranes

From Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki

Jones crane at the VET at Threlkeld Cumbria

Jones Cranes was a firm with a factory located in Lettchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.

[edit] History

The company was founded in 1915 by Belgian industrialists, Jacques Dryn and Raoul Lahy.^[1] The firm became part of the Cohen Group (later the 600 Group^[2]) in 1928.

Jones Cranes producing over 1000 mobile cranes in the 2nd World War. These were utilised in many locations including for unloading the first barge to land on the Normandy beaches at Arromanches, on D-Day. To meet the demand Jones manufactured 180 cranes in 25 weeks for D-Day.^[3]

The company failed during the recession of the 19 ? along with its rivals when demand fell and Japanese competition, with modern all hydraulic machine swept the market.

The Name is still about today along with rival Iron Fairy, as par of a crane engineering firm.

[edit] Model Range

• Crawler cranes
• Mobile Yard cranes
  • KL66 - 1960s
• Ship loaders (elevated)
• Truck mounted Lattice jib
  • Jones KL15
  • Jones K144
  • Jones K166
  • Jones KL10-10
• Yard cranes
  • Jones KL15 - 1930s

[edit] Preserved machines

• Several models are still operating in small boat yards, and at Heritage railways throughout the country.
• The Vintage Excavator Trust has one on their site at Threlkeld, Cumbria, at the mining museum, but it is in a poor state of repair and not working. (photo above)

[edit] See also

• Construction Plant Manufactures List of;
• Coles Cranes
• Ruston-Bucyrus

[edit] References / sources

• Classic Plant & Machinery Magazine

1. ↑ An Illustrated History of Cranes]], by Hinton J. Sheryn ISBN 0-7110-2547-9
2. ↑ http://www.the600group.com/faqs.asp?ID=6
3. ↑ http://www.letchworthgc.com/placestovisit/history/ww2_industry.htm

[edit] External Links