When I was very young, the City Of Jacksonville would often use this exact make of crane to repair sewer lines n such. I simply called them....."The orange cranes". I developed a weird fascination with them. My Mom understood. I remember being 4-5 years old and they were busting up a street that we'd pass going to and from the Grocery Store. After a couple of store runs over a week or so, one day, Mom drove me to the site. We walked half a block to where the crane was operating and she just let me sit there and watch for a solid 30 minutes. I will never ever forget that. Mom always remembered and we'd talk about it from time to time. PROOOOOBABLY why the Tonka Crane is still my all time favorite Christmas gift! LOL Ironically, about 1-2 years after Mom let me watch that crane, I became friends with a fella who lived on that same street corner. I still go through the old neighborhood from time to time and like to simply drive by that corner. LOLOL ANOTHER one of my etched in stone memories!
Thanks to internet, some years ago, I researched and found those old cranes were made by Bantam. They went out of business some time ago after a rather long run. A few of them are still out there though. Told my Wife that if we ever hit the big Lotto....I'M BUYING ONE!
