Crane industry news Archives | Page 3 of 37

Manitowoc completes VPC-MAX testing

Manitowoc has completed the testing of its 650 tonne MLC650 crawler crane fitted with its variable position counterweight extension (VPC-MAX) attachment.

Increasing the MLC650’s capacities from 650 to 700 tonnes, the VPX-MAX features additional counterweight and a beam that automatically extends the counterweight beyond the rear of the crane depending on the weight of the load. As part of the load testing the crane boom was positioned in a number of positions, including over one corner of the crane in order to apply the maximum level of stress through the structure.

Dustin Soerens, Manitowoc marketing manager, said: “We attached hundreds of strain gauges to the MLC650 and picked a number of loads in the test yard to test its capacity with the VPC-MAX attachment. The testing went very well with no surprises. No changes are needed on the crane, as it performed superbly. We’re well on our way to releasing this innovative crane to the global market.”

Manitowoc’s VPC-MAX attachment provides capacities similar to wagon/tray mounted attachments, but requires fewer components and assembly steps, which helps reduce setup times and transportation costs.

New 145t RT for Ravago

Phillipines based crane and access rental company Ravago Equipment Rentals has taken delivery of a new three axle 145 tonne Tadano GR-1450EX Rough Terrain crane.

The new crane boasts a 61 metre six section boom with a 10.3 to 18 metre bi-fold swingaway jib, 16.1 metres long and 3.3 metres wide, it weighs 91 tonnes fully rigged and can travel at 15kph.

Ravago is one of the largest crane rental companies in the Philippines, with a fleet of All Terrain truck and Rough Terrains up to 700 tonnes, it also offers a wide range of aerial work platforms, telehandlers and general equipment.

First new Liebherr for Tonhout

UK crane company Tonhout Crane Hire has taken delivery of its first new Liebherr crane, a three axle 60 tonne LTM1060-3.1 All Terrain.

Based in Welwyn Garden City, the company has been in the crane rental business for almost 40 years and is a sister company of M and M Crane Hire of Uxbridge.

The new crane features a 48 metre main boom and 9.5mto 16 metre bi-fold swingaway extension, giving a maximum hook height of 63 metres and maximum radius of 48 metres. The specification includes 6x6x6 drive, Telma retarder and remote control unit for all superstructure functions.

Company owners, Maurice Tierney and sons Mark and Brian said the decision to purchase a new Liebherr was based on experience with a used Liebherr LTM1055-3.1 that it added to the fleet several years ago.

They have also ordered a Liebherr 50 tonne LTC1050-3.1 city type All Terrain crane with unique single elevating cab, for delivery to M and M later this year.

Link Belt moves into South Africa

Link-Belt has appointed Eqstra Industrial Equipment of South Africa as its distributor for Southern Africa.

The agreement covers 17 countries, including Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Eqstra will sell and market the full line of Link Belt cranes, and provide parts and service support for new and existing cranes throughout the region. The company is part of a Eqstra Holdings which is publicly traded and has a wide range of operations including car leasing and fleet management and Industrial fork truck sales in the UK through Impact Handling (UK) where it is the Cat forklift dealer. The equipment divisions are based in Johannesburg with outlets in a number of the countries that it covers.

The Industrial and heavy equipment division also distributes Toyota fork trucks, Broderson carry-deck cranes, Konecranes reachstackers and also lists Terex All Terrain, Rough Terrain and crawler cranes, although it is no longer listed as an official dealer.

Other divisions distribute Altec and Socage vehicle mounted aerial work platforms and Fassi loader cranes, while it also produces a couple of smaller articulated loader cranes of its own.

Link-Belt international sales manager Roy Burger said: “We believe that when you invest in a Link-Belt crane, you invest in outstanding customer support. As a result, we are delighted to enter into this agreement with Eqstra Heavy Equipment, whose philosophy of building lifetime partnerships with their customers underscores our vision to be a leader in customer service and satisfaction.”

Grove for Crowland

UK rental company Crowland Cranes has added a 60 tonne Grove GMK3060 to its fleet.

The crane follows the first four axle 100 tonne Tadano ATF100G-4 in the UK delivered in January. The GMK3060 was handed over to Paul Bishop, Crowland Cranes hire manager at its Peterborough depot by Jerry Welford of Manitowoc UK.

“The GMK3060 was chosen because we already operate a GMK3055 which has proven to be a reliable taxi crane, and the GMK3060 has had a nice facelift with a larger counterweight configuration and increased load chart which fits nicely in the 60 tonne range that we currently operate whilst still remaining a very compact three axle machine,” said Crowland’s Pete Issitt.

“The crane also has the newly released Manitowoc ‘Crane Control System’ (CCS) which amongst other things enables operators to select the correct boom configuration for the lift required in a very simple way, saving rigging time and searching through pages upon pages of load charts.”

Liebherr launches largest LHM

Liebherr Maritime Cranes has launched its new 308 tonne flagship mobile harbour crane – its largest to date.

Topping the company’s seven model LHM range, the LHM 800 has a maximum capacity of 308 tonnes and a maximum radius of 64 metres. Offering 100 tonnes more capacity than the next model in the range, it is able to handle container vessels up to 22 rows across.

With hoist speeds of 120 metres a minute, the company claims it is able to handle 38 containers an hour in standard configuration. When equipped with Liebherr’s Pactronic hybrid power booster the company claims it can handle up to 45 containers an hour as well as up to 2,300 tonnes of bulk handling per hour. When fitted with Liebherr’s Sycratronic software two LHM 800 cranes can also carry out tandem lifts of up to 616 tonnes.

Weighing 745 tonnes the new crane shares the same X-shaped undercarriage used throughout the LHM range, however the wheel sets have been slightly adapted to provide better load distribution. Mounted on a rubber tyred undercarriage, the LHM 800 can also be mounted a rail, a fixed pedestal or a barge.

Matthias Mungenast, sales director for Liebherr mobile harbour cranes, said: “The LHM 800 is a breakthrough for the mobile harbour crane sector, outperforming the existing maximum lifting capacity by nearly 50 percent. Also in terms of container and bulk handling, the LHM 800 is the new benchmark. We are optimistic that this new model will strengthen our market leading position.”