all terrain crane Archives | Page 8 of 12

Terex has introduced its 130t Explorer 5500 all terrain crane

Terex has introduced its 130t Explorer 5500 all terrain crane, designed to be the company’s most compact crane in its capacity class.

Part of the Explorer range which also includes the 5600 and 5800 models, the new 5500 features a 60m main boom with three extensions of 11m, 22m and 33m, with a maximum system length of 86.5m.

With a maximum load moment of 395mt, the five-axle crane is designed to be compact enough for use in cities and on other narrow construction sites. Manoeuvrability is improved by steerable axles, says Terex.

Features including variable axle loads and axle pair intervals, as well as dismountable main boom, enables the crane to be fulfil road service approval regulations in key markets.

All the components for the Explorer 5500 can be transported on one standard support vehicle, and the crane also incorporates Terex’s single-motor concept as used on the 5600 and 5800 models. This automatically adjusts the power usage according to whether the crane is driving or operating, reducing energy consumption.

Grove rises above the trees for Hack

A 400t Grove GMK6400 all terrain crane was used by German heavy lift specialist Hack to lift construction materials onto the roof of a 60m-high building.

The project was based in Koblenz, Germany and involved lifting 5t loads at a radius of 86m in an inner-city location. The crane was required to navigate trees which lined the job site, with the jib rigged in mid-air to avoid damaging the recently-resurfaced road.

Using the GMK6400 configured with a 55m boom and 79m luffing jib, Hack completed the job in two days.

The crane was accompanied by four trucks and was fitted on arrival at the site with its full 135t counterweight, before the self-rigging MegaWingLift attachment was installed, increasing capacity by 70%.

Supported by flat-bed trucks, the jib sections were connected at ground level before the full 79m extension was raised.

Since purchasing the GMK6400 in the summer, Hack has also used the crane for projects including wind turbine maintenance and erection, tower crane assembly, and other large-radius lifts on inner-city sites.

Company owner Udo Hack said: “The GMK6400 is fast to erect, easy to use, and can perform lifts that few other cranes of this size can complete. I am delighted with how busy the crane is.”

Southern expands fleet with Tadano all terrain

Houston’s Tadano America Corporation sold an ATF 90G-4 all terrain crane to North Carolina company Southern Crane.

Southern opted for the ATF 90G-4 as the 168ft main boom combined with the 59ft jib length enables a quick set-up and take-down, even with limited space, said company president Earl Johnson.

A recent project for the new crane was unloading a 48,000lb communication building, which will be transported to the cell site and set again using the ATF 90G-4. The lift required the use of the full 49,163lb counterweight.

Based in Raleigh and formed in 2003, Southern Crane now operates more than 16 cranes ranging from 28-190t.

Terex crane meets space challenges in factory

A Terex Challenger 3160 all terrain crane has helped a salt and fertiliser manufacturer overcome space restrictions and the highly saline atmosphere in its factory.

German mobile crane company H & S Autokrane used the Challenger at the facilities of Kassel-based Kali- und Salzwerke to install and remove pipelines.

The three-axle, 55t Challenger 3160 features a 50m boom system which met requirements of the project including hoisting pipelines and steel elements 42m for assembly into an existing structure, and hoisting with a wide radius for moving underneath pipeline bridges.

The crane overcame various complications during the project including navigating a narrow approach, which at some points allowed a width of 2.6m and a height of 3.6m. Drains passing underneath the workspace limited the weight for the job to 40t, as well as restricting the use of half of the outrigger extension for parts of the project while still requiring the full counterweight.

Jens Hartung, field crew member at Hesse-based H & S Autokrane, said: “We were able to master even this task with our Challenger.
“To work here, a crane needs to be really small when it pulls in, and large with a long boom in the structures. Moreover, it needs to be able to lift heavy loads. The Challenger 3160 all terrain crane comes the closest to fulfilling this ideal.”

BKL adds second GMK6300L to its fleet

German crane rental company BKL Baukran Logistik has added a second Grove GMK6300L all terrain crane to its fleet.

Manufactured by Manitowoc, the first 300t GMK6300L purchased by BKL completed 1,500 working hours in a year, leading to the German company’s addition of a second unit.

The GMK6300L is based in Frankfurt and is used primarily for inner-city job sites where space is limited, and for erecting and dismantling tower cranes.

Based at Forstinning, near Munich, BKL has a fleet of more than 330 tower cranes and almost 40 mobile cranes.

GMK6300L assists with children’s hospital project

A 300t Grove GMK6300L all terrain crane has been used to install five air handling units on the roof of a nine-storey building at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.

UK-based City Lifting lifted the 4t units at a radius of 54m using only the crane’s main boom, as the limited space in central London prevented the company from rigging a fly jib.

To reach the site of the children’s hospital the crane also had to navigate a hole which had been dug in the adjoining access road.

The lifts, which represented the first time City Lifting had used its GMK6300L, were completed in a day.