0:00:02 > 0:00:05Ainscough is Britain's biggest mobile crane hire company.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11At dawn every day, their cranes crisscross the country.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12All right, let's go for it.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Apart from my family, this is the second love of my life.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17So family and then cranes.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18They lift everything...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Nice and steady.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21This way, mate. Get him round.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24..from wind turbines to priceless art works.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I'm feeling a little bit nervous.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Keep going.- What if it slides out?
0:00:29 > 0:00:31It won't. It's not going to slide out.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Their life's in our hands up there.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36One wrong move up there from us and it's game over for them.
0:00:36 > 0:00:3824 hours a day...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42- Hold it.- You've just got to get it right, cos if you don't,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44it could pull the crane over.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45It's got to go.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52..seven days a week.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Don't pull it, John!
0:00:55 > 0:00:56You won't get me up there, that's for sure.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58They keep Britain lifting.
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Yep, happy on the hoist.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Not many people can say they've had the opportunity to work
0:01:04 > 0:01:06with a ship like that.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08We're a small cog in a big machine,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10which helps make this country better.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16But facing increased competition and having invested millions
0:01:16 > 0:01:19in the latest cranes, the company is at a crossroads.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23If we don't deliver, it's a bit like football management.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I guess we have some conversations about
0:01:25 > 0:01:27whether you get to stay for next season.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Do I have a few sleepless nights thinking about that? Yes, I do.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Ainscough's HQ in Preston.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47The hub of a nationwide empire.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51In the true sense of the word, big boys' toys.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54You play with these things when you were a kid and um...
0:01:54 > 0:01:56we've got 450 odd of them
0:01:56 > 0:01:58running up and down the country every day.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01But for commercial director, Gareth Jones,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05running a mobile crane-hire company isn't child's play.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09We've got over 1,000 people, 29 locations,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12right from the north of Scotland, right down to the south coast.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16From a revenue point of view, we are a £120 million organisation,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19so that's a big old turnover. That's a lot of jobs.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Yeah, we're a pretty big deal in the crane world.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26But in the worst economic downturn for a generation,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28keeping the firm on top isn't easy.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31If you're the market leader, you can only go one way
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and that's not something that's an option for us.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The company's received almost £100 million of investment
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and they need results.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44We've got new owners now and they want to take the business
0:02:44 > 0:02:47back to the heights that it was at at the peak of the market.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50That's challenging. We've got to get more business, more revenue.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52We don't ever want to see a yard full of cranes, so if you see
0:02:52 > 0:02:55a yard full of cranes, and a yard full of trucks,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56you know you're not busy.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59And if you're not busy, you're not earning revenue.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02If you're not earning revenue, you're not making money.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12The crane gang will lift anything, no matter how unusual.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18And today, a team are at the Falkirk wheel in central Scotland,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22to transport a work of art that has been sold to a private buyer.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30It's a unique challenge for Falkirk lift supervisor, John Hollis.
0:03:33 > 0:03:3515 tonne, solid granite,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37sculpted locally,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40so it's quite a substantial lift for us.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Obviously, one of its kind, so we need to be very,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46very careful that we don't do any damage whatsoever to it.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52What we have here is quite a sharp edge on the granite
0:03:52 > 0:03:56because it operates almost like a razor and
0:03:56 > 0:04:00if the slings come in contact with that, it would cut them immediately.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Big sculpture, I'm going to have two handles at the sides...
0:04:04 > 0:04:09Sculptor Ronald Rae spent a year chiselling Tyger Tyger by hand.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11He's an important regular customer.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15I carved this thing 14 years ago. My God, my beard was black then.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22He likes to supervise everything from start to finish,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26to make sure everything's done correctly, the way he wants it,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28there's no damage to anything.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32This thing came about - William Blake,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36"Tyger tyger burning bright in the forest of the night,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40"Not a mortal hand or eye can frame thy fearful symmetry."
0:04:43 > 0:04:46400 miles away, Somerset lift supervisor,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Mike is figuring out how to get the sculpture to its new home.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54The weight of what we are lifting is not the issue,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56it's just to the access to...
0:04:57 > 0:05:00..the final position is presenting something of a challenge.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So here is the plinth.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Tigger's final resting place.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10New owner Sally lives in the heart of the Somerset countryside.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13We think from the central point of the tiger,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15you just get that lovely view through
0:05:15 > 0:05:21and hopefully all the ley lines are correct as well.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26For Sally, it's a mystical location. For Mike, it's hard to reach.
0:05:26 > 0:05:32What I'm hoping to do is to bring the crane in down...here.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Yeah.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Bring the lorry in beside it, so you can lift it up that way round
0:05:37 > 0:05:38and into position.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Mike has arranged for half a kilometre of track to be laid
0:05:44 > 0:05:46across two fields, so the vehicles
0:05:46 > 0:05:48can reach the plinth in Sally's garden.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The last thing you want is the crane slipping while it's going in
0:05:52 > 0:05:55because if it does, then we've got problems getting it out obviously.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58That's the main challenge, is getting the roads safe enough
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and good enough to bring the crane in and the lorry in with a sculpture on.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Up in Scotland...
0:06:04 > 0:06:07All right, John? A wee test lift at that, mate.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09..they're ready to lift.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Just an inch off the deck, John.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Every time you carve granite, every chisel mark, you are releasing
0:06:14 > 0:06:19for the first time to the light of day for 460 million years.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Those crystals are seeing the light of day.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Pure stardust. It's fantastic.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28She is away. She's going.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Tyger Tyger is a one-off work of art that is insured for £100,000.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39John, that's just about spot-on.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41You're not bad at that!
0:06:41 > 0:06:44You are the man. It's not going to fall on anybody's head.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46THEY LAUGH
0:06:49 > 0:06:53There you go, look at that. Flying tigers!
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Think of the Egyptians. We didn't have this 250-tonne crane.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Greatest granite workers in the world.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27It takes four men, two hours to lift the sculpture onto the truck
0:07:27 > 0:07:29and secure it in place.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Let's set it down and see which way it is going to kick.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40Is that him down?
0:07:47 > 0:07:48That will prevent any rocking.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51I don't want him coming off on the motorway.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53We don't either, I can assure you.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- Tyger Tyger's survived the first lift.- Farewell!
0:08:06 > 0:08:07# Hi ho!
0:08:08 > 0:08:11# Hi ho, hi ho... #
0:08:11 > 0:08:14HE MAKES TRUMPET SOUND
0:08:18 > 0:08:20What's that? An evacuation siren?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24No two days are the same for the crane gang.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27And in south London...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30A bit of bush for you there, Cash.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35One of their teams is working revamping retired council houses.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Can you see that lamp post there, Wayne?
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The project is a council project for the houses that have got
0:08:44 > 0:08:48existing outbuildings that are redundant now.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Not redundant, that have seen better days.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53They're lifting those ones out and putting these new,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54refurbed bathroom pods in.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Look, it's lovely, isn't it?
0:09:03 > 0:09:08- The fork has got to come from this side, I think.- Oh, my days.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09We've got a tree this side
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and a BT cable so we have a bit of a problem at the moment.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Inch it up again, Wayne. Inch it up again.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21The mobile crane driver operates his crane from a cab near the ground
0:09:21 > 0:09:24but top riggers Dave and Lea are his eyes and ears.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Soon as you are clear of the trees, and every obstacle,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Wayne, up you go, buddy.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37It is their job to guide the hook to areas that he can't see.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39- I hate this, going over houses.- Yeah.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Because you are so far up in the air, aren't you?
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Keep coming down, keep coming as you are. Keep coming. Keep coming.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Keep it going. Keep it going. Hold it there, buddy.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Has that bolt got to go in that hole? How are you doing, Shagger?
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- I don't think it's going to go in the hole.- He will!- Will he?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10It's a big hole!
0:10:10 > 0:10:12I'll make sure it fits. Come down a touch.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Right, are we ready?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- Have you done this before?- No.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Down you go.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- Chuckles got his name all over this. - Yeah.
0:10:41 > 0:10:4742-year-old Dave and 41-year-old Lea met 25 years ago
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and have stayed together working to the top of the crane business.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52How comes I always get the brush?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54That's the brains. I'm the brawn.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05Customers all ask for us by Chuckles. Everyone knows us as Chuckles.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Then obviously the drivers give us the name.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09That's how it's been ever since.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Sometimes in the industry,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15you have to put your life in other guys' hands and we trust
0:11:15 > 0:11:19each other implicitly because we've worked together so long.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21We know what each other is thinking half the time,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24we don't have to say, "Lee, you do this and I'll do this."
0:11:24 > 0:11:27We just automatically get on and do it. It works out well.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29It's a good partnership, really.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32The 24/7 nature of the job means they are on the road
0:11:32 > 0:11:36for weeks on end. They eat and sleep where they work.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Do you want to see the kitchen?
0:11:38 > 0:11:42This is where the magic happens, in the kitchen. Kitchen area.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Sink, everything, microwave, fridge. We are self-sufficient.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54Him, he's my bitch. He does the cooking. I look after the van.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56He looks after the kitchen area. He's my bitch.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00He makes a blinding sandwich, blinding coffee,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03blinding lemon tea.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It's fantastic and I just have to do the rest.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- We've got the big magic room. The big magic room.- I get the top bunk.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14It's warmer at the top, so that is my department up there.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I can't sleep at the top, it's too warm. I can't sleep.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I have to be cold.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Most important, emergency toilet.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- You must have emergency toilet. - Where's that then?- There, look.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24How does that work?
0:12:24 > 0:12:28- This is where the magic happens. - That's magic, that is.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32If you've got to have a poo, you've got to have a poo, ain't ya?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Sometimes, you are in the middle of nowhere, needs must.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38You are in the middle of nowhere and there is no toilets on site
0:12:38 > 0:12:41so you have to have some creature comforts.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- Obviously, not in there, outside. - Not in there... You are a liar.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- That's the living area. - The magic van.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Have you just come back in or have you been in a while?
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- Just got back in.- Just got back in?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05Right.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Keeping the crane drivers in check is the responsibility of Hayes
0:13:09 > 0:13:13depot manager, Di, who has been with the company for 15 years.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14Tired?
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Got you! Got you sleeping hard on the job.
0:13:23 > 0:13:2740-year-old ex-paratrooper, Leigh, has been a crane driver
0:13:27 > 0:13:32for eight years and home for him is next to the depot.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34I live in the Hilton.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36The Hilton of the caravans.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38This is millionaires' row.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Obviously mine is the good one.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Here we have the bathroom and shower.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54Here we have the master bedroom which is very, very comfortable.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59My unused going out clothes. Yeah, it's very good.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04This is where I live, yeah, this is where I spend 99.9% of my time.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06If I'm not in here, I'm in the crane.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Crane driving, it's a way of life, not a job.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12It's a way of life because you eat, sleep and breathe cranes.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16I would love to be married with two kids and living in a house.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I'd love to, but it's the life I've chosen, isn't it?
0:14:21 > 0:14:25When they are in the depot, drivers like Leigh are only earning basic pay.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28If they are working away from home, however,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31they get paid additional overtime, something they rely on.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34What are you moaning for now? What's the matter?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38What job am I getting now then?
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Where the hell is Kendal Green?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- You will find out in a minute. - You'll find out in a minute!
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Leigh, Leigh, Leigh. Calm.
0:14:45 > 0:14:51Calm down, yeah? I'm dealing with a bunch of kindergarten kids.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53That is a playground.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58This is the nursery office, and they are the nursery children.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Give me your money and everything.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02LAUGHTER
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Like I said, kindergarten.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Leigh is on his way to a job in West London.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Let's get the show on the road, then.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32His 250-tonne crane is over 20m long.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Rock 'n' roll.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Every lunatic in the world now trying to overtake us.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42It's more important to get in front of the crane than it is behind it.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Here comes one now.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Here it comes. Here we go. Oh, taxi driver, what a surprise(!)
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Idiot.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Never upset the crane driver, that's the saying.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58We're the alpha male of the roads.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01It's an extension of your body.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04It's my baby.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09And it gives me power. It makes me Superman, when I'm driving it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Here she is. This time tomorrow, that view will be different.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24The London skyline is littered by hundreds of static tower cranes,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27which are used to construct high-rise buildings.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31And Leigh has just 12 hours to dismantle a crane that had
0:16:31 > 0:16:33been building a block of flats in Islington.
0:16:34 > 0:16:41Obviously, all the bus stops are not in use at the moment. Excuse me.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Good deed for the day, that. Good deed for the day.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53There's plenty of signs up saying what we're doing,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57yet people still park there. I'm not sympathetic.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59I'm about as sympathetic as a hand grenade.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The job is in a busy London street, and it's a tight deadline.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07To keep the crane constantly lifting,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11the drivers work in pairs, so Leigh will share the workload
0:17:11 > 0:17:15with his 50-year-old co-driver, Lee Grimwood.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17A little bit off to the left, er, right.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Lee? Lee?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Lee! In the front, mate, my sunglasses are in there.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Can you grab them, please? My cool ones, you know what I mean?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I've got to look good.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The sun's not even this way yet.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- See if he notices I've got them on. - They're not there!
0:17:46 > 0:17:48He's got them on.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50HE CACKLES
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The 19-tonne arm of the tower crane needs lowering to the ground.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02But first, the riggers need to attach it to Lee's hook,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05265 feet in the sky.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Their lives are in our hands up there.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13One wrong move from us, and it's game over for them.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16So you've got to be on your game to do this.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19You've got five or six guys up there, you've got to be on the ball.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35He's knocking the last pin out now, you can see it moving.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Once that pin comes out, it should be free.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Start hoisting up, hoisting up.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Through to your left, mate. It's all yours, to your left.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52A bit back, mate. A bit back.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I make it look easy, don't I?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06With the tower crane arm safely landed,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Lee Grimwood takes over to bring the rest down in sections.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I'm lead operator. He gets told what to do.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23He doesn't do what he's told, he gets that.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31You wouldn't want that on your foot.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41The job is complete.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43True professionalism.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47This is the beginning of a six-day shift for the Lees.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53After today's 13 hours, they won't head home for another five days.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57My two little boys, they don't want me to work weekends.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59"Are you coming home?
0:19:59 > 0:20:01"Will you be home before we go to bed, Daddy?"
0:20:01 > 0:20:03All that sort of stuff.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So, yeah, it's hard being away sometimes,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07when you're away weeks on end.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11I just would like to work five, five-and-a-half days a week.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But unfortunately I can't afford to.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The sculpture Tyger Tyger is nearing the end of its journey
0:20:24 > 0:20:25to its new home.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I really fell in love with the tiger,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and I think often tigers are portrayed as quite vicious animals,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43and this is a particularly soft and rather beautiful piece.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm also extremely excited.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53I think the real challenge begins going up the very thin lanes
0:20:53 > 0:20:55through the farms and then, obviously,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59once we get onto the tracking and we start going over farmland.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02The lorry has finally arrived.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04This is the man.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08But there's a problem.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Basically, it's come down on the wrong lorry.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16That is it, in a nutshell.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18So we've now got to decide whether we can get this one in
0:21:18 > 0:21:21or transfer it onto something else and bring it in.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25It looks too long to get round the corner. The driver is concerned.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32There is no way I'm going to get the turning circle to actually
0:21:32 > 0:21:34get in through the gate.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Can we not get a hire from somewhere around here,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39- a six-wheeler?- I'd have to make some enquiries, cos I really don't know.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Well, I have to get back tomorrow afternoon.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- I'd like to hope this was done today.- So would I!
0:21:46 > 0:21:48LAUGHTER
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I've got to get back to Scotland. This is nervous breakdown territory.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Where are we at? What's going on?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57This is going to take longer than we thought.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01- I want it done today, though. - Yeah, it has to be done today.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- So that's the position.- OK.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05The other thing is, I was just saying to Mike, there,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09is that we're scrambling and trying to get a hire from somebody
0:22:09 > 0:22:11with a six-wheeler flatbed lorry.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16A little disappointed, actually.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Things haven't all clicked into place. So much preparation.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24But we've got to get it done, got to get it sorted,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26so hopefully someone will come up trumps.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31The team responsible for dealing with
0:22:31 > 0:22:34customers are based at Preston HQ.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Okey-dokey, cheers, bye.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41The National Hire Centre is managed by Shaun Wood.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43This is our team, you know?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46They all look busy when there's a camera in their face.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49When you're not here, they'll be sat with their feet up.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52We've got Mark, he's my right-hand man.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- A bit of eye candy for the ladies in the room.- Ladies.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59- He's been with the company now - how long for?- Ten and a half years.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I wouldn't have given him ten and a half months when I first met him.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04I wouldn't have given him ten and a half months.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Because the buck stops with me, I can be the bad cop.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Mark's the good cop, I'm the bad cop.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13To be honest, Shaun hasn't got any nicknames, really.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17He probably has from depots, but obviously because we respect him
0:23:17 > 0:23:21in such a high manner... He is our lord and master. We call him "sir".
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- There's the money. - Thank you very much.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25LAUGHTER
0:23:25 > 0:23:30Tracey behind you, she's been with us about 15 years, 16 years, have you?
0:23:30 > 0:23:35- 12.- 12 years, it feels like 15, 16 years.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39All right, not a problem, be with you in two minutes.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42They arrange cranes for top clients, including the National Grid
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and the Ministry Of Defence.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49Leave that with me, please, I'll wait for Stephen and come back to you.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53This is the nerve centre, or the nerd centre.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58It's the hub of the business as far as the top customers are concerned.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01We're dealing with some serious contracts.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04You know, the Olympic Stadium, the rail network,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06the high-speed upgrades.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11The big players out there in the construction industry do contact us.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12OK, thank you, bye.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16We take the request from the client, so if you want
0:24:16 > 0:24:22a crane in Inverness or down in Newquay in Cornwall, just give us
0:24:22 > 0:24:26the work and we'll find our nearest depot to cover that work.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28..in Watford.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Every business is struggling, and we're trying to get back up there.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39But if we don't look after these top, top customers, then, you know,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43this place could just kind of cease to exist.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- Hi, Andrew, how you doing?- Fine, how are you?- I'm not bad, I'm not bad.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Six months ago, the company received nearly £100 million from investors.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03What are we going to get? 750 is going to net us maybe 1.2 million.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08And commercial director Gareth is spending £4 million
0:25:08 > 0:25:10on the latest 750-tonne crane.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13All right, mate, see you later.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19The expectation on that crane is pretty high.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21We're expecting... We've got high hopes.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Actually, you can't have hopes, you've got to have plans
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and projections! We've got to have work for the crane.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- Morning, guys.- Morning.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44This is the first time we've seen the machine in the colour.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45It looks pretty good.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50The new crane is designed for jobs in heavy industry,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and can earn £16,000 a day.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58It's amazing, isn't it, really?
0:26:04 > 0:26:07It's a crane spotter's dream, this, to be honest.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11And, as I say, it doesn't matter whether you like cranes or not.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You can't not be impressed by it.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19So this is the proximity sensor, you can see those on the inside,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21the indicator lenses.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25That gives the driver an alert if a cyclist is coming close.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29That's a V-8 twin turbo supercharged.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33So it's a much more robust engine than the standard engines
0:26:33 > 0:26:35that we've had on previous cranes.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40This is a radical change in design.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43The capacities that this can lift are by far better
0:26:43 > 0:26:46than a comparable crane from the competition.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- So, what do you think? - It's amazing, isn't it? It is.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52The challenge is, when you look at it, we've got the kit spot on,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55it's absolutely state-of-the-art.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00It's getting customers to understand exactly what we do.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03This crane is massively important for us.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06We're serious about investing in the future.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08It's important that we get this crane busy,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10earning the right amount of money.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19In Somerset, after two hours and a flurry of phone calls,
0:27:19 > 0:27:26- there is finally good news. - They've now found a six - what is it?
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- A six-wheeler... - Six-wheeler flatbed lorry.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34..flatbed lorry that we think will be sufficiently strong enough to
0:27:34 > 0:27:37carry the tiger safely and securely.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40So this is really coming at the last minute, which is fantastic.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Otherwise, I'm not quite sure what we would have done.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45There it is.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53The gentleman from this company, I think he's one of the owners.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I've taken him round to look at the job, he's more than happy with it.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00So we're going to get it loaded and do it. It's as simple as that now.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01I hope!
0:28:04 > 0:28:08- What if it slides out?- It won't, it's not going to slide out.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13- It's going to hold it very securely. - How do you know?- Because I do know.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17- Because I trust them. They know what they're doing.- Do you?- Yep, I do.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I don't know about that.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33I might be a bit too far.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35A bit more slack?
0:28:35 > 0:28:37No, you're fine, that's it.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Let's go.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45A 100-tonne crane will lift the sculpture,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49but manoeuvring down the tracks is far from straightforward.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53The weeks of careful planning are finally going to be put to the test.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57I'm feeling a little bit nervous, little bit emotional.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01I'm also slightly concerned...
0:29:03 > 0:29:05..because there is a lorry about to go into a tree.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Here we go.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42OK, how is that looking?
0:29:43 > 0:29:45If I bring it down to nearly on the ground for you,
0:29:45 > 0:29:46- then you can have a look.- Yes, yes.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52Before it's lowered into place, Mike and the crane gang have to wait
0:29:52 > 0:29:56until Sally is certain her tiger is mystically aligned.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00We've just got to make sure that it is centred, that it's
0:30:00 > 0:30:04sitting on the plinth right, that we get it in exactly the right position.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11- About there.- Are you good?- Yep.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Has it made a difference?
0:30:22 > 0:30:27- Is he happy down there?- He's really happy. He's given me the thumbs up.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30- Are you happy?- It's nothing to do with me. You've got to live with it.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Wait till I'm dead till you move it.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34LAUGHTER
0:30:36 > 0:30:40What a monster, isn't it? We've got there, we've overcome. Job's done.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42All we've got to do now is get the crane out.
0:30:44 > 0:30:49Absolutely fantastic. I'm really thrilled. It looks quite spectacular.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Really, really happy.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56And relieved as well!
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Wish I had the money to do it!
0:31:16 > 0:31:18It's very early morning,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22and more cranes are being dispatched across the country.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25In East London, riggers Dave and Lea,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29better known as Chuckles, are about to start work on their next job...
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- Got to lose some weight. - Chocolate biscuit.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37Keep me going, keep my energy up.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43..dismantling a 160-year-old rail bridge so a modern replacement
0:31:43 > 0:31:47better suited for today's high-speed trains can be installed.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Over 100 men from four different contractors will work
0:31:52 > 0:31:55round the clock for five days to complete the job.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03- Lemon tea.- Dave and Lea's huge experience should come in handy.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08These are the early days when we first started.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12The biggest crane there was the 400 tonne. Two slim, handsome guys.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15Many moons ago.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21- That's working hard.- Lazy days. - This is Heathrow Airport.
0:32:21 > 0:32:26That's the new terminal five, the traffic control tower.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31This is Edgware Road, the bombings.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35We went and picked the carriage up that had the main blast in it.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39When we do all these disasters, and all the deaths,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43it's not worth getting into the emotional side of it,
0:32:43 > 0:32:47because it will just blow your mind. Just play on your mind.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50You are sympathetic towards them.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52How we get around it is we make Lea wear funny teeth.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54I have to wear funny teeth.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59- But first, they need a crane. - We've got traffic, mate.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06And it's a job for one of the big ones. A 500 tonner.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09But its arrival on site has coincided with rush-hour.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13This is where we're going to cause some hassle.
0:33:15 > 0:33:16I tend to find people in London
0:33:16 > 0:33:19don't like to stop for abnormal loads.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21Angle the crane round this blue car,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23we've got a car parked up on his left.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30If people could read parking restriction signs, it would
0:33:30 > 0:33:34make things a little more helpful, but, you know, we'll overcome.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40The rail track is closed for just 99 hours.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44The thing to understand, they're going to take all these
0:33:44 > 0:33:47intermediate beams out first after they've broken the concrete out.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49We're going to lower them straight to the ground.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53Their first job is to strip out 18 two-tonne girders.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Down you go.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Keep going down.
0:34:01 > 0:34:02Keep going down.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Keep going down. Keep going down.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13Once down, the next phase is to lift the entire side of the bridge out.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17This big steel girder on the outside, that's coming down next.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22And then I don't know what the schedule is after that.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26"Cross that bridge" when we come to it!
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- What we doing now? - That's on the wrong one.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36- Oh, poo! - Lea's put it on the wrong one.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41Before the big lift, the Chuckles are strapped onto a contractor's
0:34:41 > 0:34:45cherry picker so they can attach the side of the bridge to the crane.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51We're going to put the chain the other side of the bridge way.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Getting the chain secured is one thing.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59But the platform has malfunctioned.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Get me down! Stop it!
0:35:09 > 0:35:13What is it? They should compensate, shouldn't they? It's not my fault.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22I'm not coming up here again. You do it on your own.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Whoa!
0:35:24 > 0:35:25LAUGHTER
0:35:29 > 0:35:31We can't get down!
0:35:31 > 0:35:35- The thing is tilted and now we've had it.- We can't go up or down.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I don't know what to say.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41The thing's broke!
0:35:51 > 0:35:55For crane drivers Lee and Leigh, it's another night away from home.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01I love being away, I love it. The open road. I don't mind it.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06They're en route to a job at a cement factory in the Midlands.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10- I'm more enthusiastic about work than you are, aren't I?- I've lost it.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13- I know, you shouldn't, you know. - No. I've lost the enthusiasm.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15- I'm your motivation.- No, you're not.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23Let's go and get some cholesterol. How are you doing, mate?
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Can I have a chicken and mushroom pie, chips, peas and gravy?
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Can I have that on a tray, please?
0:36:29 > 0:36:35- Can I have a cheeseburger?- Salt on your chips?- Vinegar, please.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41- Lovely, lovely.- Nice cheeseburger. - Yours looked horrible.- No, it didn't.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43- It did.- That's because it's got salad in it.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46That's the only reason it looks horrible to you.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50200 miles from home,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53the Lees are spending the night in a depot en route to the next job.
0:36:55 > 0:36:56A fork.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00You didn't get one for me, did you? You didn't get one for me, did you?
0:37:00 > 0:37:02I've got plastic ones, haven't I?
0:37:04 > 0:37:09If you're working away from the depot, over 40 miles, you
0:37:09 > 0:37:13get your £30 living allowance, your lodge, and your £10 meal allowance.
0:37:13 > 0:37:19Your £10 meal allowance is to feed you for that 24-hour period.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Which here is not so bad, five pound a meal,
0:37:23 > 0:37:25your breakfast five pounds, that's £10.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30If you go to some big cities - London or wherever - you'd struggle.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Given my choice, I wouldn't be away. Not any more.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40- I'd much rather sleep with my wife than you.- Oi! Oi!
0:37:43 > 0:37:48In East London, Dave and Lea's feet are back on solid ground.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Is that all right?
0:37:50 > 0:37:54- And it's time for the next stage of the job.- You stuck?
0:37:56 > 0:38:01Hackney Downs railway bridge has been carrying trains for 160 years.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06But in the next few moments, the entire bridge side is coming down.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10This is where we find out whether the engineers are any good.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Keep winching it up again, go up to 30.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Measuring 30m and weighing 27 tonnes,
0:38:16 > 0:38:19the lift needs to be carefully controlled.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23I think there might have been something underneath holding
0:38:23 > 0:38:26that end. Come up a little bit more.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32- Give it a little flick to your left. - Don't pull it! Don't pull it.
0:38:38 > 0:38:45A little flick to your right, come down for me. Are you all clear there?
0:38:46 > 0:38:48All right, give it up for me, give it up, buddy.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55All right, we'll have them.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59The massive piece of steel needs to be lowered precisely
0:38:59 > 0:39:01- onto railway sleepers... - That should do it.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03..before being removed.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Keep going.
0:39:25 > 0:39:31That's the way we land it, well done. Superb. Good job. Good job.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35That gets cut up now.
0:39:35 > 0:39:36Small sections, we pick it up,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40load it in the skips for the demolition boys to take away.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Sell it on eBay.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47With half the bridge down and just 50 hours left, there is
0:39:47 > 0:39:49just time for a cuppa.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53- Dinner time. - 'Happy days.'- Happy days.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03In the Midlands, the Lees, like other crews,
0:40:03 > 0:40:08- are hitting the sack before an early start.- Oh, dear.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I'm sure my wife doesn't believe we live like this.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Working near industrial sites means their van is often the only
0:40:16 > 0:40:19accommodation option.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20That's the toilet.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Just in between two and three in the middle.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27- It's like camping, this, really, isn't it?- No.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32- This is how the other half live, see? Are you getting into bed?- Yes.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36What else is there to do?
0:40:36 > 0:40:40You'd think there's a bear in here, sometimes.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42If I end up sleeping like that - I fall asleep with the telly on,
0:40:42 > 0:40:47right, and I'm like that - I end up snoring. He just snores anyway.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51- I don't snore.- And he farts. There's a lot of farting going on.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57This is it.
0:41:01 > 0:41:07- Living the dream.- This is not how it's supposed to be, you know.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- Up in Preston HQ... - Right, let's go in here.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26..commercial director Gareth is looking at new ways to grow
0:41:26 > 0:41:28the business.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Come on, I need someone who's got an opinion on everything.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33A range of company merchandise.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36One of the crane companies, their sales,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- millions of pounds a year they're doing off online sales.- Really?
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Yes, toy cranes, people are buying the cranes and stuff.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47You go to a B&Q now, any kind of outlet, you can buy JCB stuff.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51That's kind of the power of a brand. I mean, take stuff like this.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54A collector would probably pay between £500 and £1,000 for that.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57People do collect all over the world.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02- How about that?- I tell you what, we could be in LA.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07- We could be LA gangsters. - Well, I wouldn't go that far.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- Customers are close to your heart. - Always.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Handy for someone like yourself in the winter. A bit of light upstairs.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- Keep my hair.- So you think it's a good idea?- Yes, definitely.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23If it's your idea, Gareth, it's a good idea.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28The team don't seem that convinced.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34But his big hope, the new 750-tonne crane, has arrived.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40Right boys, get out of the way.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Gareth hopes it will ease the pressure to increase revenue.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47There aren't too many of those machines in the world.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50There will be plenty of work for the machine in oil and gas,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53in wind farms. It's ideal for those sectors.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58Upstairs in the call centre, it's an opportunity to win new business.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01He has put two days, I'm assuming it's Friday-Monday,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03but I'll check, I'll come back to you.
0:43:03 > 0:43:09We are an integral part of keeping Britain building, improving,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11all the time.
0:43:11 > 0:43:17We're a small cog in a big machine which helps make this country better.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20But not every caller wants to hire a crane.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25We often get members of the public calling in, saying,
0:43:25 > 0:43:29"I'm stuck behind your crane," and the person in the Chelsea tractor
0:43:29 > 0:43:33wants to take Tarquin to school and he's going to be late.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37I'm pretty sure if he could make his crane go faster, he would do.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40But he can't, and that's just the way it is.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44Gareth, however, has more pressing issues.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48It's his monthly meet with his management team to discuss profits.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51OK, right, we'll get started then.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54In terms of our business, just to give you an overview, very quickly.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57February was a tough month for us, there's no getting away from that.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59The business is doing quite well,
0:43:59 > 0:44:01we've just got a bit of work to do now till the year end.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03I've got on my listing London 2012 is finished,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06so that's not going to be there next year.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Arcomet's finished, that's not going to be there next year.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11We were supposed to be getting all the work.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13That's gone out the window from last year.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18The '11, '12 three accounts that you managed delivered £16 million.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22But we're saying in the new financial year they are only going to do 12.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25It's a big dip.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Four million dip.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41Mindful of the fact that I'm here to do a job,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45then I need to do that job, and if I don't do that job,
0:44:45 > 0:44:48I'm sure our owners will find somebody that does.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00In Hackney, the bridge replacement is into its third day.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04HEAVY DRILLING
0:45:04 > 0:45:06I could hear the drilling.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08I couldn't get to sleep until 5.30 one night,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11and I couldn't go to work, I felt so awful. It's a nightmare.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16The job has fallen 12 hours behind schedule.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Watch that! That's live! That's live!
0:45:20 > 0:45:23And Network Rail and construction bosses have come to see
0:45:23 > 0:45:25what's causing the hold-up.
0:45:25 > 0:45:30Probably everybody feels it, can you hurry up,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32and it will just keep getting rushed, really.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36There's more suits than there is workers.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41You can tell who the management are because they're always clean.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44The workers are always rotten and filthy,
0:45:44 > 0:45:46and management are always nice and clean,
0:45:46 > 0:45:47the ones that don't do nothing.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53A piece of bridge needs lifting between overhead power cables.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55It's the most difficult part of the job.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Here goes.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Lads! Lads!
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Do you want to come out the way, because that's coming down now.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14All clear down here. Yeah, bring it down.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20Keep going. Keep going.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25But as they lift, there's a change of plan.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28If we bring this down, we're going to stop that coming out, OK?
0:46:28 > 0:46:30That's more important we get that out.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33They will block the massive bridge-mover's path.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37- Well, that was the other... - We've just had a change.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40I wish they could have told us before we got this up.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43- What we do with it now? Put it back? - Hold it back there if you can.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49It's got to go back. Too late! Too late.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56They don't want to put that back now. It's dangerous.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59We can't hold it above there, it's got to come down.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01If we come down...
0:47:01 > 0:47:03So you want to muck about
0:47:03 > 0:47:05trying to get this all back through there again?
0:47:05 > 0:47:08They're still bringing it down. I asked you to stop already!
0:47:08 > 0:47:10I asked you to stop when we were there.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13But it wouldn't stop in the middle of the lift. It's unsafe.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16You can't just leave a bridge section like this
0:47:16 > 0:47:20hanging in the air for everybody to start walking round, walking under.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24It becomes a safety issue and you have to make the decision and stick by it.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31The last we was told, instructed, get this out.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Before or after that, he went, get it out now.
0:47:36 > 0:47:37It's one of them things.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41We'll just keep persevering and carry on and get it done.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43It's three quarters of the way through the job,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46and finally the old bridge can be replaced.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48Happy Easter!
0:47:52 > 0:47:54The bigger the crane the more money it makes.
0:47:54 > 0:48:00It's the largest one on-site. You see it for miles. Absolutely miles.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Tristam drives a slightly different crane - a 600-tonne crawler.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Apart from my family, this is the second love of my life.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Family, and then cranes.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16You end up being a bit of an old woman in here.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20You see bird shit or something and it will bother you for about an hour.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22VOICE OVER RADIO
0:48:22 > 0:48:25The rest of the crane might have grease all over it,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28but one bit might just bother you for a day and you end up getting out
0:48:28 > 0:48:30and cleaning that one bit.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36This one stretches 320 feet into the sky
0:48:36 > 0:48:40and can rake in between £5,000 and £50,000 pounds a day.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42In every respect, size does matter,
0:48:42 > 0:48:44and don't let any woman tell you otherwise!
0:48:47 > 0:48:48Crawlers are the future.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51These are the best out of all the cranes.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55They're beefier looking, they look meaner. They are made for the job.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59If that mobile over there can't reach what he needs to reach,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02he has to spend about 20 minutes de-rigging just to move forward
0:49:02 > 0:49:05probably about a metre, where if I need to move forwards a metre,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08I just move forwards a metre with the tracks.
0:49:10 > 0:49:15Tristam and his crane are north of Oxford for the next four months
0:49:15 > 0:49:18building a new waste energy plant.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20It's a prestigious job for the company.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25- VOICE ON RADIO:- 'Hold it there, mate. Hold it there.'
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Today Tristam is installing an industrial boiler.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38Once it's up in the air, they'll give it a final check,
0:49:38 > 0:49:41make sure there's no stones caught in it that could drop off
0:49:41 > 0:49:44on the way round, make sure everything's secure,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46thumbs up.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50The wave up in the air means, clear to go.
0:49:58 > 0:49:59'Left.
0:50:03 > 0:50:04'Come down now, mate.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10'Keep coming down, mate. Keep coming down.'
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Unlike other crane drivers that work in pairs,
0:50:15 > 0:50:17crawler drivers work alone.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22You've got to enjoy your own company.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26If you don't enjoy your own company for this job, you won't last long.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28A self-confessed crane geek, definitely.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38- Crane hire!- Thank you!
0:50:38 > 0:50:43At Preston HQ, the new 750 has yet to get a job.
0:50:43 > 0:50:48Dave? Hi, Dave, we've got you a 100-tonne Demag.
0:50:48 > 0:50:53But Woody and the team need to keep the rest of the fleet out earning.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57Eight o'clock on site, is it? Cheers, Dave.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00They're just a waste of space!
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Well, they're not getting a crane, then.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05They're blatantly lying to somebody and just not paying.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10It's just all delay tactics, and I'd be surprised if they don't go boom.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Seriously. Cheers, thanks, bye-bye.
0:51:12 > 0:51:19Basically, a customer owes us money, just short of £20,000.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22They keep making promises that they're going to pay,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24then when we chase them up for payments,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27"No, we told you, we'll pay you next week, we'll pay you next week,"
0:51:27 > 0:51:29and it's just an ongoing thing.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32But this happens a lot, and since the recession,
0:51:32 > 0:51:33we're seeing that more and more.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36If that's how the customer's going to stop, they don't get a crane.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41No, I've been putting out fires on other issues,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45- if I'm honest with you. - Thank you, Annie, bye.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47It's just part and parcel of the job,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50dealing with a high volume of work, but you've just got to
0:51:50 > 0:51:53battle on through it and come out the other end.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Smiles and dimples, as they say.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58I think that's our company motto, smiles and dimples.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Overnight, the bridge contractors have made up time,
0:52:03 > 0:52:05and the new bridge is in
0:52:05 > 0:52:09just in time for the tracks to reopen on schedule.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11The Chuckles can relax.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14- We've got tea on.- Yeah.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19You're so messy! He leaves everything everywhere,
0:52:19 > 0:52:23you can see chicken bones in here from yesterday. It drives me mad.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28From the old bridge coming out to the new bridge going in,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32from stage to stage, you get a sense of achievement at the end of it.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37It's amazing. Amazing feat of engineering.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44They're making a lot of noise, but they're doing a good job.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49Let's hope the next bridge lasts 160 years!
0:52:52 > 0:52:57The crane gang can overcome many obstacles, except the weather.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01It's the biggest cause of delays and cancellations.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06It's been the UK's harshest spring for 60 years
0:53:06 > 0:53:09and it's affecting business.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12OK, well, it's changed again.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14I've just rang the crane in Devonport,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17and like everybody else on that side, everybody's winded off.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Delayed.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22I don't think there's any chance of them lifting today with the weather.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24Chaos, unfortunately.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26Everything that's planning this morning
0:53:26 > 0:53:28will have changed by tea-time.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31We had an absolute full book for the weekend,
0:53:31 > 0:53:33we were absolutely brimming over,
0:53:33 > 0:53:36but jobs have just dropped off really badly.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39So we've just had a bit of a situation in the yard.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43The tower crane was struggling to hold on to his loads.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46He's looked and it's blowing 100kmph out there,
0:53:46 > 0:53:51so we had to get him down out of the tower crane. It's a bit windy!
0:53:51 > 0:53:53You wouldn't get me up there, that's for sure.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Cranes can't work in the wind, that's the major problem.
0:53:56 > 0:53:57It's like flying a big kite.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01If you've got something on the end of a hook,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04it tends not to go where you want when it's windy.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08On his building site in north Oxford,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11Tristam and fellow crawler driver Andy
0:54:11 > 0:54:13are waiting for the wind to drop.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- What's the wind speed?- 20m a second. - Too windy for us.
0:54:18 > 0:54:23It's basically, go and have a check round the crane again,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26make sure everything's still secure and chill out then.
0:54:28 > 0:54:29It's blowing a gale, you can hear it.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32You can stand here and listen to it blowing through the wires.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36You can see the wind's well up. There's no question about it.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38PHONE RINGS
0:54:38 > 0:54:43Hi, you all right? Just an update, really, on what you're doing, when you'll be finished.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46I know the weather's bad down there with the wind and everything.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50The wind's getting stronger so they might abort it this afternoon. OK.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Speak to you shortly. Thanks. Bye-bye.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57You know, the drivers make more money out of it.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00But we don't necessarily make any more money out of it.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02If the crane doesn't work in the wind,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05the customer doesn't have to pay a full charge.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09There is a wind-off charge, but the driver still gets paid and he might
0:55:09 > 0:55:12be quite happy about sitting there with his paper
0:55:12 > 0:55:14or getting his head down, you know. Too windy.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17When it's this windy,
0:55:17 > 0:55:23they do make snide comments about us crane drivers liking to sit around
0:55:23 > 0:55:25and do nothing and they do sort of say we're lazy,
0:55:25 > 0:55:29- even though it's blowing gale force. - I don't know where they get that from.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32I don't know where they get that image from.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35We're always busy, we never have our feet up.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37I'm trying not to laugh!
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Is there any sort of pressure from the office to keep going?
0:55:39 > 0:55:42No pressure. No pressure from the office whatsoever.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44It's all down to us, really.
0:55:44 > 0:55:45PHONE RINGS
0:55:45 > 0:55:48The office! This'll be the pressure.
0:55:51 > 0:55:52Hello.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00Bad weather's not the only problem.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05The new 750-tonne crane is yet to get a job.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12I'm just ringing about that very same quote.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15I was just wondering if you have any idea when you're going to need us.
0:56:17 > 0:56:18Thank you. Bye.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24All right, mate. Cheers, Bob. Ta-ra.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35If it doesn't go out working,
0:56:35 > 0:56:38we turn the lights off first of all, save some money.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42And then we send back the company cars and get them
0:56:42 > 0:56:45Reliant Robins and Ford Escorts.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47It's not the Millennium Dome just yet,
0:56:47 > 0:56:52but we've just got to be there ready for when the phone rings.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57It cost Ainscough £4 million,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00and management want it busy.
0:57:00 > 0:57:05But a month in, it hasn't earned a penny.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07They want to see it move. They don't want to see it
0:57:07 > 0:57:10sitting there looking pretty but going rusty.
0:57:10 > 0:57:15They're going to put the squeeze on. It can't sit there indefinitely.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18There's got to be some work coming for it soon,
0:57:18 > 0:57:21otherwise somebody will be asking serious questions.
0:57:25 > 0:57:26Every day's a challenge.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29We can all wax lyrical about our fantastic revenues,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31but we've actually got to make a profit.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33It's all about the bottom line.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36We got 1,000 people working in this organisation.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38We got a keep them in a job.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42So do I have a few sleepless nights thinking about that? Yes, I do.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51- Next time... - These are my lucky pants.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53..it's all change for The Crane Gang...
0:57:53 > 0:57:56- That don't sound too healthy! - No, it don't, does it?
0:57:56 > 0:57:58..as they look to the future...
0:58:00 > 0:58:04- Wasn't watching, was I? - ..reflect on the past...
0:58:04 > 0:58:06He'll be truly missed, the old git.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09..and the management say, "On your bike."
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Slow down!
0:58:11 > 0:58:14You're trying to kill somebody!
0:58:14 > 0:58:16I'm going home. I don't want to play no more.
0:58:34 > 0:58:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd