Crane with a separate motor or PTO?

PTO, or ‘Power Take-Off’, is the system in which the crane is driven by the lorry’s engine. This is in contrast to a system with a separate engine, where the crane has its own powertrain.

With PTO, there is just one engine for both driving the vehicle and powering the crane. This therefore appears to be economically advantageous, in terms of both installation and maintenance costs.

Fuel consumption

A small engine with a limited kW output is sufficient to power our machines. This, of course, has a direct impact on fuel consumption. With the separate engine, maximum fuel consumption is 2 litres per hour. When the crane is powered via the lorry’s power take-off (PTO), the lorry’s idling fuel consumption must be taken into account. This is typically between 10 and 14 litres per hour.

Based on an average of 500 operating hours per year and current fuel prices, we find that a separate engine quickly generates fuel savings of €8,500 per year. Bearing in mind that a separate engine can run on red diesel, this difference becomes even greater.

Maintenance

We also note that idling a lorry engine places a heavy load on the particulate filter, whilst a lorry-mounted crane generally covers few kilometres, as it often remains stationary on site. This causes problems in the long term because the particulate filter has little opportunity to regenerate.

It is generally accepted that 1 hour of a lorry engine idling is equivalent to travelling 65 kilometres. With a PTO system, you will therefore need to consider costly maintenance of the lorry engine much sooner.

Environment

Add to this the fact that a lorry engine is more polluting and noisier than a separate engine.

That is why, in its premium “KLAAS” range, KLAAS opts for specialised engines, which are more expensive to purchase but pay for themselves in less than a year. This puts less strain on the lorry’s engine and exhaust system. Your wallet, the environment and those living near your site will thank you for it.