PlanToys Crane Rating :
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Beautiful, durable crane truck
By D. Stewart
My almost 3-year old son had been asking for a crane truck for Christmas, but the only versions we saw in stores made noise and looked cheaply constructed. We received a Nova Naturals catalog in the mail and he fell in love with a $180 crane truck within its pages. We don't spend that sort of money on...well...anything elective. But our little guy had one thing on his Christmas list and it was... a crane truck.
I was on Amazon three days before Christmas and saw this truck. It was over 70% off of its list price at $27 which made it $3 more expensive than a junky plastic trailer truck monstrosity I had found at a big box store. With Amazon Prime it was able to arrive here on Dec. 24. I was, however, a little concerned as to whether it would be a quality product with such a deep discount.
We were AMAZED by the weight, construction and quality of this truck! It is a solidly built, heavy product, though it is not so heavy that a little one cannot tote it around. The truck comes in two pieces and snaps together with a great deal of pressure (i.e. a strong parent will have to put it together). The two pieces allow the truck to, say, fall down the stairs and the crane part of the truck does not break off permanently; it simply unsnaps. (This construction also requires that Daddy has to fix it when it comes apart.)
The wheels are attached with bolts and are made of wood with unremoveable wide rubber tires. The crane itself is just plain cool with a mechanism that elevates both the crane and the boon. It makes a pleasant little clicking sound. I find that it may be a tad complicated for our little guy, though with more play, I have no doubt he'll master it soon. Right now, Daddy sets the boon and our little one drags things around with the hook, which is sturdily attached to a weighty cord.
The dyes of the paint are very pleasing -- orange, but not garish orange. There is plenty of room for little characters to sit behind the wheel which turns easily. Four stablizers flip down for those heavy duty crane truck jobs, then flip up nicely wiht a pleasing click.
In short, this is one of the most wonderful toys we have ever purchased! We are eager to find more Plan toys and hope that Amazon will again offer deep discounts at other times of the year. I only wish I would have thought ahead during that pre-Christmas frenzy to my little guy's February birthday and ordered another excellent Plan product!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
A little lacking
By Twin Cities Parent
This is a beautifully made toy at first glance. Solid, nice wheels, looks like something you'd keep for generations. It's a little disappointing to play with, however. I have a 1, 3, and 5 year old and none of them interact much with this toy because it's hard to use. My complaints focus around 2 specific areas.
1) the crane arm rests on a little wooden "flap" for lack of a better word that only holds it up part way -- my kids like the more dramatic and fun angle that the crane arm can extend to, but there's no built-in way to hold it there. So it's only raises a couple inches when in use. Not so exciting.
2) The string doesn't stay put on the spool (tackle?) that holds the hook. When my 3 year old tries to work the crane, he has his hands full trying to align the string, hook an object, crank the string, then inevitably have to realign it on the spool, by which point whatever he's trying to raise has fallen off the hook...you get the idea.
Finally, note that the turning ratio is 1-to-1 when you're winding the string. If you look at the gray knobs on the photo, these are what the child turns to wind the crane string. It takes about two dozen turns to wind it fully. That's quite a few turns for young users.
If your child has the coordination to deal with some fussiness, then this toy might be satisfying. My husband and I are in our mid-30s and really like it! My kids don't like the fact that it's not something they can do easily by themselves.
UPDATE: if you're looking for a great crane, take a look at the Playmobile Maxx7. We have this one now and we all love playing with it! Very sturdy, dramatic angle, and great stabilizing arms. Fun to hook all kinds of things on this and put it to work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.we love all Plan Toys, but this is the favorite!
By Traci
Before ordering this, we had the Plan Toys Excavator and blocks, and were already HUGE fans of this company. They create toys that are environmentally sustainable, truly non-toxic & SAFE for kids, AND they leave room for kids to use their imaginations. In place of cheap plastic, recorded sounds, and flashing lights (all of which take away from imaginative play), you get a quality wooden toy that gives the child the opportunity to create and imagine. This crane is our favorite of all because it has several mechanisms for my son to work on using - a pulley system, an extending crane, a swiveling base, and braces on the truck to flip down when lifting heavy objects (We do lots of serious railroad construction and the hook really does allow my son to lift his bridges and carry them to his construction sites!) I can't recommend this enough - it is worth a few extra bucks because of the quality and educational value.
Product Description
PlanToys Crane - 6313The PlanToys Crane can rotate 360 degrees with sound. There are knobs at both sides to control the extendable crane with up-down lifting function and the controllable rope with pull-push function. The Crane is designed to comply with current construction vehicles.The Crane has been designed for simple functions. The toy will enhance fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.By observing the mechanism of the Crane children will develop observational and problem solving skills the basis of science.The Crane also teaches about the duties tasks and importance of the driver of the Crane through role playing.Parents can tell stories about the driver to develop imagination/knowledge. Language and communication skills are also aided.This Crane can be enjoyed with other same-scale vehicles.Product Dimensions Inches 5.1 x 14.6 x 7.9Model Number 6313Age3 years
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #193537 in Toys & Games
- Color: natural and orange with black and grey
- Brand: Plan Toys
- Model: 631300
- Released on: 2009-03-01
- Dimensions: 15.00" h x9.00" w x5.50" l,
Features
- Real world functionality which encourages creative play in a positive learning environment
- Educational merits are recognized by some of the most prestigious awards in the industry
- PlanToys practices the "Three R's" of green living: reduce, reuse, and recycle
- All toys are made from non-toxic natural materials such as organic rubberwood
