Page 204 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

He completed his preparations and began to lift.
Here I need to explain that “proper” mobile cranes with jibs and wire lifting cables and
hooks and everything else have to undergo annual scrutiny and be tested to obtain their
lifting licence. Then they are insured to lift a certain amount. This mobile was rated at 10
tons.

(Picture of mobile crane
very similar to the one coming
to my aid!)

They also have a weight sensor
and if exceeding their rating at a
certain angle of lift a bell rings to
warn the driver he is exceeding his
lift capacity. The bell began to ring
and the machine was barely off the
ground.

The driver proclaimed that “my
“machine weighed 10 tons and he
could only lift it with the jib straight up.
I had to be ready to drive beneath the machine as he lifted it just sufficient to get under
with the lorry.
After four hours it was on and I left for Sleaford after reporting in once again and asking for
a mobile at the other end that could lift more than 10 tons!

This staggered the bosses at home but at least took some pressure off me for destroying
their crane.
Within minutes of my arrival at Sleaford the second larger crane arrived and had no
problem relieving me of my burden. Once again I was late home and the next morning had
to relate the whole sorry story to the entire staff at their morning break. Obviously they
believed their nickname for me was now most apt!
They could not wait to see what was to happen on my next “expedition”.

BIG MACHINE MOVING
(not for the squeamish)!
Most of the work at Rundles in 1984 was pretty ordinary, I was driving their 16 ton Bedford
lorry making deliveries of electric motors and second hand machines mixed with castings
and agricultural implements. Normally there was something to collect on the return
journey. The lorry was equipped with a hydraulic crane of five tons capacity.
Rundles had the specialised contract for repairing and servicing all Butlins’ fairground
equipment. This was always very different and normally involved long distances to their
holiday sites around the country.
Then there were the big ones!

Jack Rundle the eldest son, bought most of the firm’s second hand machinery stocks at
auction. Normally business closures or replacement of old machinery, we even visited
schools where woodwork lessons had ceased and machinery had been sold, to Jack. On
one occasion, I was with a team sent to RAF College Cranwell to remove some machines

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