The Pettibone 30 Multikrane is a rough-terrain crane from Pettibone, an American manufacturer of cranes and material handling equipment whose history goes back to 1881, when the firm started in Chicago as Pettibone Mulliken.
Pettibone 30 Multikrane at a glance
| Maker | Pettibone, United States |
|---|---|
| Type | rough-terrain crane |
| Model | 30 Multikrane |
| Founded | 1881, Chicago, Illinois, as Pettibone Mulliken |
| First president | Alfred H. Mulliken |
| Company today | Baraga, Michigan |
| Main products | cranes and other material handling equipment |
| Best-known cranes | Speed Swing line |
| Railroad work | lifting rails and moving ties |
Based on the manufacturer’s page on English Wikipedia only; no published specification for the 30 Multikrane was available, so this page describes the machine and its maker rather than quoting figures.
History of the Pettibone 30 Multikrane
Railway roots in Chicago
Pettibone Mulliken was founded in 1881 in Chicago, Illinois, with Alfred H. Mulliken as president, and its biggest early product was railway track and switch equipment. By 1929 the company’s manufacturing facilities in the city covered 32 acres.
Artillery and cranes
Primarily a manufacturer of cranes and other material handling equipment, the company received a $3,817,844 contract for artillery material from the United States Department of War in 1940, on the eve of American entry into the Second World War, and went on producing artillery for the armed forces during the war. Today the company is known simply as Pettibone, works from Baraga, Michigan, and keeps to cranes and material handlers, some still sold for railway service. Its best-known cranes are the Speed Swing line, used by railroads for lifting rails and moving ties.
The Multikrane name
The 30 Multikrane belongs to the rough-terrain side of Pettibone’s crane range: a crane of the kind that works off paved surfaces, such as yards, sidings and sites where a truck crane cannot set up. The Multikrane name and the model number 30 are the designations under which the machine was sold.
Design and features
- Rough-terrain crane: built for work away from paved roads, where a road-going crane is at a disadvantage.
- Multikrane name: the designation under which the model was offered.
- A crane maker’s product: cranes are Pettibone’s core business, not a sideline.
- Railway heritage: the maker’s cranes serve railroads, lifting rails and moving ties.
Pettibone 30 Multikrane versions
- 30 Multikrane: the rough-terrain crane covered on this page.
- Speed Swing: Pettibone’s best-known crane line, used by railroads.
- Super 8: an all-terrain forklift sold under the Land Crab name.
- Extendo 10056: a telescopic-boom telehandler from the same maker.
The other Pettibone machines on this site are the Extendo 10056 telehandler and the Super 8 all-terrain forklift. All of them are listed in the Pettibone collection.
Video: Pettibone 30 Multikrane rough-terrain crane at auction
Video by Purple Wave on YouTube.
Sources
- Pettibone (company), English Wikipedia: history, founder, headquarters, products
