Crane repair companies are some of the hardest buyers to win. They see every weak weld, chafed hose and worn pin in their own workshop, so they trust what they can inspect, not what a brochure says. This customer from Mauritius was no exception, and the visit ended with a firm order. The table sums up the key facts.
| Case at a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Customer | Crane repair and crane spare parts company, Mauritius |
| Visitors | 3 people from the customer’s company |
| First contact | January 2026 |
| Crane ordered | 1 × SQ6.3ZA4 knuckle boom truck-mounted crane: 6,300 kg rated capacity, 10.2 m max reach |
| Purpose | Replace an old crane in the customer’s own fleet; possible demonstration unit for local sales |
| Visit date and place | 9 November 2026, BOB-LIFT factory, Xuzhou, Jiangsu |
| What they checked | Knuckle boom crane assembly line, boom sections and hose routing, the test area with 2,000 kg test weights |
| Result | €1,000 deposit paid on site after the factory tour |
A customer who repairs cranes for a living
This customer is not a first-time crane buyer. The company repairs cranes and sells crane spare parts in Mauritius. Its team knows how a knuckle boom crane is built, where it wears and which parts fail first, and that experience shaped the whole purchase. In their talks with our sales manager, Sunny, they made one condition clear: no order before seeing the factory. They wanted to check the structure, the machining and the finish of the cranes with their own eyes.
For a repair specialist, a brochure answers few of the real questions. Weld quality, hose routing, the fit of pins and bushings and the paint all show up later as repair work. Those are the details a buyer can only judge standing next to the machine. Our article on used vs new truck-mounted cranes explains why these hidden costs matter when an old crane is due for replacement.
What the customer inspected in our factory
Sunny and colleagues from our team took the visitors through the crane hall, and one of our engineers joined them in the test area. The photos from the day show where the customer spent the most time.
- The SQ6.3Z assembly line. A row of red SQ6.3Z knuckle boom cranes stood folded on the line. The customer stopped at the boom and the control valve bank of one crane and asked about specific details.
- Boom sections and hose routing. On a folded knuckle boom, Sunny showed how the hydraulic hoses run along the boom sections and through the guides, a point a repair technician checks first because chafed hoses are a common repair job.
- Close-up details. The customer photographed nameplates, fittings and components on several cranes on a phone to review at home.
- The test area. Beside an orange crane base and a stack of 2,000 kg test weights, one of our engineers answered the customer’s technical questions.
Test weights like these are used to prove that a crane can safely hold its rated loads. Our guide to the crane load test explains what EN 12999, ASME B30.22 and other rules expect from a test like this, and what a buyer should ask to see.
The SQ6.3ZA4: the crane behind the order
The SQ6.3ZA4 is the mid-length version of our 6.3-ton knuckle boom truck-mounted crane. A knuckle boom crane folds its boom into a compact package behind the truck cab, so it leaves most of the truck bed free for cargo. That suits a repair and parts business, where the same truck carries parts and lifts engines, gearboxes or crane components on and off the bed. The figures below come from our technical drawing and load chart for the SQ6.3ZA4.
| SQ6.3ZA4 specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 6,300 kg at 2.1 m |
| Max lifting moment | 13.2 t·m |
| Max reach | 10.2 m |
| Lifting height | ≈ 12.5 m |
| Self weight | 2,180 kg |
| Crane length along the chassis | 920 mm |
| Outrigger span | 2,290–5,606 mm |
| Height of the crane when stowed | 2,322 mm |
| Hydraulic supply | 40 L/min at 28 MPa, about 22 kW |
| Oil tank | 100 L |
| Working radius | 2.1 m | 4.4 m | 6.3 m | 8.3 m | 10.2 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifting capacity | 6,300 kg | 3,010 kg | 2,020 kg | 1,500 kg | 1,190 kg |
Lifting moment is the load multiplied by its distance from the crane’s centre of rotation. For example, a 13.2 t·m crane lifts 6,300 kg close in but only 1,190 kg at its full 10.2 m reach. Check the load at your real working radius, not the headline tonnage; our guide on how to read a crane load chart walks through it. The same product page also lists the shorter SQ6.3ZA3 and the longer SQ6.3ZA5 for buyers who need less or more reach.
From one replacement crane to a local market
Replacing the old crane is only the first step. Because the company already services cranes and sells parts in Mauritius, it can show the SQ6.3ZA4 to its own customers as a working demonstration unit. If the crane performs well and the market response is good, the customer plans to add BOB-LIFT cranes to its sales range.
For a dealer, a repair workshop is a strong starting point. The same team that sells a crane can install it, service it and keep spare parts on the shelf, which is what crane owners on an island market need most. In the United States, the OSHA crane rule 29 CFR 1926.1412 requires shift, monthly and annual inspections by a qualified person, and a local workshop is the natural place to do that work in any country.
What other buyers can take from this visit
- Bring the person who will maintain the crane. For example, a mechanic or repair technician sees welds, hose routing and component brands differently from a buyer reading a quotation.
- Look at cranes on the assembly line, not only the display unit. Cranes in production show the standard build quality you will actually receive.
- Ask about load testing. Ask how and with what weights each crane is tested before shipping.
- Plan spare parts from the first order. Agree which wear parts, seals and filters to keep in stock, especially if your country is far from the factory.
- Bring your truck details. Chassis model, wheelbase and space behind the cab decide which crane fits. Our guide to buying a truck-mounted crane from China lists what to check before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit the BOB-LIFT crane factory before I order?
Yes. Buyers from more than 40 countries have visited our factory in Xuzhou; you can see photos on our Global Customer Visits page. Recent visitors include a group of buyers from Colombia and a buyer from Nigeria who watched a live crane demonstration.
Does BOB-LIFT supply the truck?
No. We supply the crane. If you buy a Chinese truck, the supplier can deliver it to our factory and we install the crane there. If you buy the truck locally, we ship the crane and a local body builder installs it with remote technical support from our team.
Can a repair workshop or parts dealer become a BOB-LIFT partner?
Yes, and this Mauritius order shows how it can start: with one crane for the company’s own use, then local demonstrations. Workshops that already service cranes are well placed to install, maintain and stock parts for the cranes they sell. Our Kenyan customer started with five SQ5SA4 telescopic cranes and is planning a second batch.
Plan your own factory visit
We thank our customer from Mauritius for travelling to Xuzhou and for their trust. If you repair or sell cranes and want to see how our cranes are built, send us your travel dates and we will prepare the visit around the models you are interested in.
Written by Achord Chan, Product Operations Director at BOB-LIFT, based on our sales manager’s account and photos from the visit. We do not publish the customer’s name or company.
