Terex Demag Cranes Archives

Terex issues counterfeit warning

Terex has issued another warning regarding counterfeit Terex/Demag crawler cranes, this time originating from South Korea.

Similar to reports in 2013 (see: Counterfeit Terex Demag warning) counterfeit models are being assembled, branded and sold as used Terex cranes, either painted in a Terex white or a Demag red. To date, the company’s CC 2500-1 lattice boom crawler crane seems to be the crane most commonly forged.

While they are made to look like Terex cranes they are typically assembled from a blend of older and newer technology and a mix and match of components not designed to work together. These counterfeit cranes can usually be spotted by poor weld quality, inferior steel structures and improperly fitted tracks. Additionally, many of the standard safety components are missing.

Klaus Meissner, director of product strategy for Terex Cranes, said: “This is a serious situation, not only because this infringes on our intellectual property but, more importantly, it poses a serious safety risk for our customers. The use of these inferior, counterfeit cranes can result in deadly consequences.”

“Unfortunately going by serial number alone will not determine with certainty you are buying a genuine Terex crane, as these plates can be fake as well. Many of the counterfeit cranes were purchased either without an on-site inspection or through an inspection conducted by an unqualified person. If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

The company has stressed the importance of conducting a thorough inspection of any used cranes by a qualified individual prior to purchasing the machine, especially in the markets of concern. Should anyone have any concerns over the authenticity of a Terex crane, they should contact: Klaus.Meissner@terex.com

Terex launches free online lift planner

Terex Cranes has launched the Terex Liftplan – a free online lift planning tool for customers’ lifting operations.

Users can select from a range of Terex cranes and specify the load, height and radius of the lift involved. A copy of the lift plan is then available to print out. The lift planning tool can also be used on site on an ad-hoc basis, so should conditions change, the driver simply enters the new information and the system automatically recalculates.

Michael Klein, product marketing said: “Historically, only customers with big machines and complicated lifts have used lift planning tools. Today this facility is available to anyone who uses a Terex crane, as it will allow smaller jobs to be better planned and therefore safer. It might be the fleet owner contracted to carry out a particular project, or one of his hire customers needing information on site.”

The new tool is available in nine different languages, uses either imperial or metric units and employs a variety of different methods to determine the best machine to deliver safety, performance and productivity on site.

Coussens takes on Terex

UK-based crane rental and heavy haulage specialist Coussens has taken delivery of a Terex Challenger 3160 all terrain crane.

The three-axle all terrain is the fifth Terex model to join the company’s fleet. It has a 55 tonne capacity, a 50 metre single-cylinder telescopic boom and a capacity of 35.6 tonnes at four metres radius. The all terrain has a 6.8 tonne counterweight and can operate under the 12 tonne axle load limit.

Paul Coussens, Coussens owner, said, “When other cranes need triple or quadruple reeving, the Challenger does the job with just one or two lines. Another important plus point is the crane’s -5 degree boom incline. It means the operator doesn’t have to work at height to reeve the crane, which represents a significant safety advantage. So too is the Challenger’s radio remote control system.”

Sarens lifts Boeing for Comair

Sarens South Africa lifted a Boeing 737-300 passenger aircraft for South African aviation company Comair.

The aircraft was lifted from the OR Tambo International Airport, across the R21 highway in Kempton Park, to the Comair training centre, where the Boeing 737-300 will be used as a real-life evacuation trainer.

The plane is 33.35 metres long, 18 m wide and 5 m high and a dead weight of 25 tonnes. Its engines had been removed and portions of the wings and tail had been clipped. To lift the aircraft to its new location, Sarens used a Liebherr LTM 1400, a Terex AC 500 and a Terex AC 200 wheeled mobile telescopic all terrain cranes.The lift was carried out overnight to allow several main roads to be closed.

Marius Cilliers, Sarens South Africa country manager, said, “The stakes were high. Our specialized engineering and rigging teams defined the most time- and cost- effective solution, making sure the road closures were kept to a minimum and all safety and quality standards were met. Successfully lifting the Boeing and safely relocating it to its new home was the result of months of planning and collaboration with many stakeholders involved.”

Glen Warden, Comair commercial operations manager, said, “This operation is the first ever of its sort in South Africa, probably even in Africa. The project co-ordination between the various parties has been paramount. Especially the professionalism and operational excellence shown by the Sarens team is something to behold. Whenever you see a large Sarens crane at any site around the world, people should know how much of a specialist job this is.”

The new training centre will be built around the aircraft.

Terex acquires Dueco

Terex has acquired most of the assets of Dueco -Terex Utilities largest distributor and mounting company. Wisconsin based Dueco is responsible for
Terex Utilities sales and service across 17 states.

Details of the transaction have not yet been released, nor specific merger strategies, but it looks as though Terex Services will add the additional product support coverage to its existing network, which could be used to help support other group products, such as those made by Genie.

Dueco was founded by Pete Dalum in 1955 and and was renamed Dalum’s Utility Equipment Company in the 1970s – thus DUECo. It is almost unique among larger companies in the sector in that it is female owned and run. It has expanded its business rapidly in recent years and was appointed as a Fassi dealer in 2011. In May last year Terex added Wyoming and Montana to its territory. Terex statement said: “Customers will benefit further from the unified team working with a streamlined sales and service pipeline with a more focused approach and expanded solutions”.

Dueco chief executive Judie Taylor, whose family started the business, added: “We are very glad to be an integral component of Terex now. Dueco’s philosophy has always been to focus on our customers and our team, with a passionate desire to take care of both. Our customers will benefit from the vertical integration and seamless depth of expertise with our combined teams to support customers nationwide and even globally”.

“Our team members, some of whom have been with us for decades, will be able to grow and prosper as Terex grows within the electric utility market. Historically, the Terex and Dueco team members have been working on parallel paths to support the customers in the marketplace. It is a natural synergy, and we are excited that the collaboration of the combined teams, and the breadth and depth of their knowledge-base, will be unsurpassed in the industry! We are ready to build and grow the Terex brand.”

Terex Utilities general manager Don Anderson said: “Dueco has been a major part of our business for the past 55 years. We are very happy to have the opportunity to bring their entrepreneurial spirit and customer responsiveness into our organisation. This acquisition shows our commitment to continue to invest in bringing better solutions to our customers in the global utility and services markets. We’re eager to move forward and continue to build on our recent growth while helping our customers to succeed.”

Scott Hensel general manager of Terex Services added: “By bringing Terex and Dueco together, Terex Services now has a national footprint with over 700 technicians and 56 service centre locations. This brings even more value to our customers and allows us to expand our Equipment Services solutions within the Utilities and Aerial markets by developing a stronger presence in the Midwest and Northeast regions.”

Unstable crane closes road

The boom of a lattice crawler crane threatened to come down today across a major road and power lines in Chesterfield Virginia.

The crane a Terex crawler owned by Corman Construction was working on a road project when the boom started to go over the back. Fortunately it didn’t and worked on the site used web slings to try and anchor the boom in order to prevent the crane losing stability and overturning. An All Terrain was then called in to try and help lower the boom.

The utility company cut the power lines, while the police closed the road. As far as we know the recovery is ongoing. We are not quite sure what caused the boom to get into this condition. Although early indications are either a recoil effect from an unplanned load release or overluffing.