How Mac’s Trucks’ innovative hidden leg system is driving the industry forward
With a legacy of over 53 years in the industry, Mac’s Trucks is one of the UK’s leading family-run commercial vehicle dealers and body builders. All its vehicles are locally made within its Yorkshire-based state-of-the-art facility, using only the most advanced materials and proven manufacturing techniques. Since we last spoke just under a year ago, Mac’s Trucks has made great strides in terms of innovation, leading to significant growth. Andy Hall, Technical Director, takes us through what has changed and what is driving the business forward.
“We have remained busy throughout the year, particularly following our acquisition of Walker Crane Services in London. One of the most notable shifts we have seen is a change in customer requirements, marked by far more demand for specialized builds this year than we have seen in a long time. A lot of requests are coming in for larger cranes, but in unusual configurations and challenging build positions. We seem to have become synonymous with the larger end of the crane market, which keeps the engineering team very busy. These projects are extremely time-consuming and involve a huge amount of problem-solving and expertise, something we’re lucky to have in-house. Additionally, we are mounting large cranes out of the rear of vehicles where there is insufficient mass to get the performance required, which throws up all sorts of challenges. Nonetheless, we are pushing the limits of what truck mounted cranes can do, and we are achieving payloads at the larger end that have never been reached before.
“I think part of what is driving this, particularly in the South London area, is problems related to site access. Tighter urban environments are making it increasingly difficult to bring in mobile cranes without requiring lane closures and banksmen. To address this, our hydraulic knuckle boom crane can be packaged more compactly, get into refined, tight spaces without those logistical requirements, and deliver even better lift performance. As long as we can keep innovating and pushing in that direction, I believe the industry will follow suit,” he opens.
To reinforce its momentum, Mac’s Trucks made a significant strategic move with the acquisition of Walker Crane Services this year, which gives it access to a crucial facility on the outskirts of London. With a large portion of Mac’s Trucks’ sales growth concentrated in the South, having a dedicated presence and facility in that part of the country is a significant advantage for the business as well as its customers, who now have direct access to its facility, products, expertise, and team without needing to travel north. The Walker Crane Services team is experienced and well-regarded, and over the coming years Mac’s Trucks plans to invest heavily in the site, bringing it up to the same specification and standard as its main operation. It is a substantial investment, but one poised to deliver strong profitability within the next few years, and a bright future for both businesses.
Product development remains central to what sets Mac’s Trucks apart, especially as demand for specialized builds rises. Last year, the company delivered one of its most successful innovations to date: a hidden front leg system for the Volvo FH Aero, developed in collaboration with Volvo. “The FH Aero cab was really only designed for tractor units. Our team works closely with Volvo Technical, and I showed them what we had already done with the new generation DAFs. I suggested they send images of our DAF system to Sweden and ask whether they were interested in something similar for Volvo. The answer was positive, as long as it did not interfere with the truck’s aerodynamics. An advantage of our system is completely hidden from view, so you would never notice it unless you knew it was there. After we got the green light to move forward, I pushed further and asked whether we could do it on the rigid, as we sell more rigids than tractor units. A week or two later, the answer was yes. We had a prototype in, spent around six-to-nine months developing and refining the system, and then launched it,” Andy elaborates.
The response has been phenomenal, with demand incoming from all over the world for the hidden front leg system, including Portugal and Austria. Nearly a year after its launch, Mac’s Trucks has already sold close to 100 units, and some competitors have attempted to copy the design. “This innovation is driving the industry forward and pushing boundaries. Its popularity is not just due to the position of the leg, but also to how the system actually works within its parameters,” Andy explains. “It is not overcomplicated, which is part of why it consistently works so well. But it outperforms everything else on the market, and that has taken a long time and a great deal of investment to achieve,” Andy concludes.
After a year of work, Mac’s Trucks has just launched the Fassi F1450 loader crane mounted on an eight-wheeler rigid truck. That crane can lift just under seven tons at about 15.5 meters. As the company increasingly treads on the toes of the mobile crane industry, Andy expects the industry to keep heading in that direction with smaller footprint, lighter products that can take the load with them without banksmen or road closures. Through its focus on effective innovation, Mac’s Trucks is well-prepared to meet that demand in the future.
