The power behind the wheels at John Sutch Cranes

Many people will say that John Sutch Cranes is all about the cranes, but for us it’s not just our fleet - it’s our people.

And when John Sutch heard that there was a local company (Tyrecraft) that had run into trouble, he moved quickly to speak with mechanic Chris Riddell.

The next day Chris was in John’s yard as a fully fledged member of the team.

Chris’ story starts, like many, with uncertainty.

After beginning a tyre fitting course in college, he found himself stuck when the college suddenly shut down. But rather than let that stop him, he picked up the phone and found himself connected to the company that fitted the tyres for John Sutch’s cranes.

The owner of the business saw something in him.

“I was only in for two days, and Mark gave me a full-time job by Thursday,” Chris remembers.

“I had no idea what I was walking into, but I stuck with it.”

When Mark sadly passed away, it was Paul Conneely, Operations Director at John Sutch Cranes, and then John Sutch himself who stepped in.

“They said, ‘Come with us,’ and they looked after me. That was three years ago. I started on the 11th September, and I’ve been here ever since.”

What sets Chris apart is his hands-on experience with large cranes and serious machinery - a far cry from your standard van job.

He said: “People think it’s the same, but it’s not. With a van, once it’s jacked up and weighted, you’re good. But with a 150-tonne crane, everything’s got to be perfect—lock rings, seating, pressure. One mistake, and things can go very wrong.

“A lot of people don’t realise that when a tyre goes wrong on a crane the impact can be absolutely massive and a huge risk to safety.”

That level of risk awareness, attention to detail, and training is exactly why John Sutch Cranes invests heavily in skills development.

Chris has completed specialist courses with names like Michelin and Bridgestone, and he’s trained in everything from motorway tyre setup to recognising irregular wear patterns that signal safety issues.

With the business recently shifting to Michelin as a preferred tyre supplier, Chris is a strong advocate. He said: “Michelin is the best. It’s the mileage, the consistency, and the safety. You know what you’re getting.”

From supply routes via Stoke to fit-outs in Manchester, he’s hands-on at every stage. “It makes our work more uniform. If something goes wrong, you’ve got the brand behind you too.”

And now?

“Looks like I’m getting a new van soon,” he says.

“John has promised me an upgrade so hopefully that will be coming soon.”

It’s the kind of recognition that comes with commitment.

He added: “I get on with everyone here. I’m local too - so if there’s a breakdown, I’m there in 20 minutes. I’ve got full access to the depot, and I’ve built trust over time.

“When John said three years ago, ‘We’ll look after you,’ - he meant it.”

And he’s more than delivered on his end of that promise as he’s on top of everything in the fleet. While crane operators routinely check the vehicles, Chris ensures that everything he touches and the job he does is ‘spot on’.

“You can’t mess about with kit like this. There’s a lot of money in tyres. There’s a lot of money in the fleet and I treat it as if it’s my own. That way, I know the crane is right and the lads are out there operating safely.”

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