crawler crane Archives

First SCX1000A-3 in Holland

Dutch engineering contractor Gebr. De Koning has taken delivery of the first 100 tonne Hitachi-Sumitomo SCX1000A-3 lattice crawler crane in the Netherlands.

Purchased through Hitachi (Europe), the SCX100A-3 lattice crawler crane can be rigged with up to 60 metres of main boom, or a combination of boom and 28 metre jib for a maximum system length of 79 metres. Powered by a stage IIIB complaint engine, the new crane has been ordered with an additional winch and a wider skywalk on its main boom for enhanced safety and easier assembly. The crane will be used to carry out concrete, waterworks and foundation contracts.

Gebr. De Koning managing director Leo van Dijk, said: “We prefer to buy rather than rent our crawler cranes, as they are used on most of our projects. We continue to choose Hitachi, because of the competitive price, high quality and overall reliability of the products. The environment is also of paramount importance, for example when working on a ProRail project the Co2 emissions are carefully monitored and the fuel consumption is also an important factor.”

Based in Papendrecht, Gebr. De Koning handles a number of projects, including the construction of bridges, tunnels and quay walls, as well as subcontracting for house building, utility and civil works. It purchased its first Hitachi crane – a KH100 – in 1978 and currently has a fleet of six Hitachi cranes as well as a number of Hitachi excavators.

Four more Kobelcos for Weldex

UK based rental company Weldex has taken delivery of four new Kobelco CKE G series crawler cranes as part of its ongoing fleet modernisation programme.

The company purchased two 60 tonne CKE600G machines and two80 tonne CKE800G cranes which will be based at the company’s depot in Derbyshire, England. The CKE600G israted at three metres and can handle seven tonnes at 12 metres radius on its 51.8 metre maximum boom. The CKE800G will take seven tonnes out to 20 metres with its 55 metre maximum boom length.

The new cranes also feature low emission technology meeting Stage IIIB (Tier 4i) with Diesel Particulate Filters, and exhaust gas cleaning systems. Fuel saving measures include: Auto idle stop, the G-winch which enables the line to be raised at high speed without raising the engine speed; and the G-engine which limits maximum engine speed by controlling pump capacity.

Weldex chief executive Dougie McGilvray said: “We have 120 cranes with an average age of four and a half years. They are all new and that is the way we want to keep it. The company aims to replace all of its machines every eight years. That is why we are working with Kobelco to update and modernise our fleet.”

“We do a lot of work within London area so we are looking at upgrading our fleet to all 3B compliant machines. The cranes will be working on Crossrail and the new Thames Tideway Tunnel as well as carrying out general construction work in London and all over the UK.”

Mark Evans sales manager Kobelco Cranes Europe added: “We experienced major growth throughout 2014 but this year is set to be even better with our first quarter sales outperforming the same period last year by a long way”.

Crane auction raises $35 million

The Energy Crane auction in Casper, Wyoming, yesterday raised over $54 million, a new record at Ritchie Bros for a single owner sale.

The sale included 38 cranes, which fetched over $35 million. Around 3,000 on-site and online bidders competed to buy the cranes and transport equipment.

Highlights of the auction included a 500 tonne 2010 Liebherr LTM1500-8.1 All Terrain that fetched $3.35 million—the most expensive All terrain Crane sold by Ritchie Bros. to date.

Ritchie Bros chief executive Ravi Saligram said: “Our extremely successful Casper auction, featuring high-quality cranes, trucks and trailers, is one of the largest underwritten complete dispersals the Company has ever done”.

“The strong performance and pricing we achieved today reflects the power of Ritchie Bros.’ brand to reach and attract buyers from all over the world. This auction epitomized our strong customer relationships, our marketing prowess, our operational know-how, and most importantly the trust consignors place in us with their high-value fleets.”

Grove GHC demo launch

Manitowoc has launched the new Sennebogen built GHC series of telescopic crawler cranes to dealers and customers at an event at its Shady Grove factory plant.

The company used the Research & Development facility at the plant for introduction, with a full audio and video set-up that included lights, music and projection screens. A curtain dropped to a drum roll and attendees were invited to check out the new cranes.

All three models, the 50 tonne GHC55, 70 tonne GHC75 and 120 tonne GHC130, were on show at the event which was also attended by Sennebogen staff. After the hands on session the cranes were put through their paces outside, with details given about optional equipment which include: pole claw, auger and working platforms. All three cranes have load charts with the machine level as well as two and four degrees out of level.

Dave Hull, senior vice president global sales and marketing said: “From time to time, we look beyond our traditional borders to re-evaluate our portfolio to ensure we are offering our customers a complete line of lifting options to suit their needs. It’s with this in mind that we are introducing to you the new Grove GHC Telecrawler series, which we know will find plenty of use in the Americas, from utility projects to construction and everything in between.”

One of the attendees – David O’Connell, president of Grove and Manitowoc dealer Shawmut Equipment, said: “We expect that companies working in the utility, bridge-building and marine industries are going to find considerable use for these cranes, with their quick setup times, the 100 percent pick and carry capacities, and the ability to still pick a load when not completely level. We will certainly be stocking the new cranes.”

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.

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.”