Franna cranes have become such a familiar part of the Australian lifting industry that the name is now often used as a catch-all term for pick and carry cranes. That kind of recognition does not happen by accident. It comes from a machine that solved a very specific problem on Australian job sites: how to lift and move loads quickly, efficiently and without the setup time required by larger cranes. Over the decades, the Franna has gone from a clever local innovation to one of the most recognised crane types in the country.
What is a Franna crane?
A Franna crane is a type of pick and carry crane. Unlike many other cranes, it does not rely on outriggers or stabilising legs to perform its work. Instead, it is designed to pick up a load and carry it over a short distance within a job site. That is why Frannas are also commonly called taxi cranes. They are built for mobility, fast setup and efficient lifting across a range of applications, especially when the crane needs to complete multiple lifts in a day or move between sites on public roads.
Where the Franna story began
The origins of the Franna crane trace back to Australian engineer Dave Francis, who developed the first pick and carry crane using truck components. Secondary industry sources commonly place that original prototype around 1980, while Franna’s official history states that the first pick and carry crane was developed in 1978. The name “Franna” is widely understood to be a combination of Francis and Anna, his daughter’s name.
From the beginning, the concept filled an obvious gap in the market. Traditional cranes could lift heavy loads, but many jobs also required mobility around site. The Franna offered both. It gave operators the ability to lift a load and then move it without the repeated setup and pack-down that slows down other types of crane work. That practical design is a big part of why the Franna became so influential in Australia.
Early growth and industry adoption
After the original concept was proven, the business changed hands and moved into broader manufacturing. Some industry sources say the business was sold in 1983 to Lou Parolin and Brian Haintook, while Franna’s official timeline places that sale in 1986 and names Lou Parolin and Brian Hain. What is consistent across the sources is that new ownership helped take the original idea into larger-scale production and growth.
As more machines entered the market, Franna cranes quickly built a reputation for speed, manoeuvrability and versatility. They suited the Australian construction and lifting environment particularly well. Operators and crane companies valued their ability to travel quickly between jobs, work in tighter areas and handle a wide variety of lifting tasks. Over time, the Franna name became so widely recognised that many people began referring to all pick and carry cranes as “Frannas”, even when they were made by another manufacturer.
Why Frannas became so popular in Australia
Australia was the ideal environment for this style of crane. Construction, civil works, shutdowns, mining and machinery moves often require a crane that can do more than just sit in one position and perform a single lift. Frannas offered high road speeds, short setup times and the ability to carry loads around a site, which made them highly efficient for contractors trying to get more done in less time.
That practicality is one of the main reasons Franna cranes became a staple in crane fleets across the country. They were especially useful for taxi work, shutdown work, machinery installation, petrochemical projects and mine sites. Crane Choice also notes the strong popularity of models such as the AT-20 and MAC-25 in Australian fleets because of their compact size, manoeuvrability and usefulness across a wide range of lifting work.
The Terex acquisition and continued development
By 1999, Franna had grown enough to attract the attention of major global manufacturer Terex, which acquired the company that year. According to Mighty Cranes who hire Franna Cranes in Brisbane QLD, more than 1,000 Franna cranes had already been sold by the time of the takeover. Under Terex ownership, the Franna brand continued to evolve, with the official company timeline showing major milestones including a new Brisbane facility in 2000, the production of the 2,000th crane in 2006, the 3,000th in 2009, the 4,000th in 2013, and the continued rollout of new models and updates over the years.
The official Franna timeline also highlights key product and export milestones, including the first machine exported to the United Kingdom in 1993, the launch of the AT-14, MAC-14 and AT-18 in 1996, the AT-20 Series III in 2008, the AT-22 in 2013, the AT-40 prototype in 2016, the production of the 1,500th MAC-25 in 2021, and the first machine sold into Canada in 2025. These milestones show how a crane designed for Australian conditions eventually grew into a product with international reach.
Franna cranes today
Today, Franna remains one of the best-known names in pick and carry lifting. The machines are still manufactured in Brisbane and continue to hold a strong position in the Australian market. Franna states that it has dominated the Australian pick and carry crane market for more than 40 years, while secondary sources continue to describe the crane as a go-to option for a broad range of lifting and transport tasks.
Modern Frannas are used for everything from machinery installations and shutdowns to mining and general construction work. Their appeal is still tied to the same core benefits that made the original design successful: mobility, ease of use, reduced setup time and the ability to work efficiently in confined or busy job sites. In practical terms, they remain one of the most useful crane types for jobs that need both lifting power and movement on site.
A crane that changed the Australian industry
Few machines become so influential that their brand name turns into an industry shorthand. The Franna did exactly that. What started as an Australian engineering solution to a practical site problem grew into one of the most important crane designs in the country’s lifting industry. Its success came from understanding what operators and contractors actually needed: a crane that was quick, mobile, versatile and reliable.
That is why the Franna remains such a major part of crane hire and lifting operations across Australia today. Its history is not just the story of one machine. It is the story of an Australian innovation that reshaped how many lifting jobs are done.
