Battle for knuckle boom crane comes to Surrey

Crane operators compete in Port Kells in September for first place, prizes and glory.

The Falcon Crane Rodeo, presented by Falcon Equipment, returns to the company’s vast 96th Avenue yard on September 7. The third annual event promises to feature the best competition for knuckle boom crane operators from coast to coast to coast in Canada.

Knuckle boom cranes are similar to straight boom cranes, but have two boom sections: a main boom and an outer boom connected by a knuckle, hence the name.

“We invite everyone to come by,” said Christina Matthews, Falcon’s Surrey branch manager.

“Please come by and meet us,” added Falcon Service Manager Ferlin Fransz. “We are family focused and it is truly a community event.”

The rodeo is open to the general public and there is standing room for crane enthusiasts, fans of machine fighting and anyone curious about crane fighting, or just cranes in general.

Fransz said the rodeo offers much more than crane challenge sports. They have face painting, games for kids and a bounce house in a special kids’ zone. They have a food truck on site and Falcon will also be doing giveaways.

In addition to the fun and competitive rodeo aspect, the event is also about education and recruitment.

“BCIT is bringing a trailer with simulators so people can go and use the simulators for earthmoving equipment and things like that,” Fransz noted. “We’re also doing demonstrations of how we do stability testing.”

Matthews added that Skilled Trades BC and Fulford Certification (a certification program for crane operators) will also be on site at the Falcon Crane Rodeo, along with the company’s HR department.

“So if someone is interested in working in the crane industry, becoming a crane operator or working at Falcon, we will have tables where they can talk to BCIT about training, to (Skilled Trades) and Fulford about certification, and to our HR department about opportunities within our company,” she explained.

Matthews said the crane operators will participate in several events, including the Hook n’ Hoop, the Forklift Ring Toss and the Rail Spike Throwdown.

“We’re also going to have more obstacle courses this year,” she said. “The operators have been asking for more.”

Matthews added that spectators can watch the crane rodeo events in several locations.

“The areas will be cordoned off with cones so people can walk around safely and watch these guys in action as they perform the events.”

Matthews and Kelly Truman, a representative from Falcon, came up with the idea to bring some old-fashioned competition and camaraderie to the garden.

She said the opening event was a great success.

“We were a little bit overwhelmed by how many people showed up and how much the operators, who are our customers, were so involved in the competition,” Matthews noted. “Every year they say, ‘Next year we want to be more challenging.’ So we try to make it harder every year.”

That’s why Falcon has added a number of new events to challenge participants.

“This year is going to be big and the operators are pretty excited,” Matthews added. “It’s also a ‘thank you’ to our customers. It’s nice to see the friendly competition between them. And they’re getting to know each other better – and we’re getting to know them better on a personal level.”

The Falcon Crane Rodeo will take place at Falcon Equipment Surrey, 18412 96th Avenue, from 11am to 2pm on Saturday, September 7.

For more information, visit falconequip.com.