rough terrain crane Archives

Tadano to expand Mantis plant

Tadano is investing $2.5 million to expand its Mantis crawler crane plant in Richlands, Virginia, adding at least 25 new jobs.

Mantis is based in Franklin, Tennessee, and apparently considered adding capacity in either of its two locations, but chose Virginia which offered a number of grants and other financial aid.

The announcement of the expansion was jointly made by Virginia’s governor Terry McAuliffe and Tadano’s Shiro Morita. McAuliffe said, “I am thrilled to announce this win for Tazewell County, creating 21st century jobs in sectors like advanced manufacturing is critical for diversifying the industrial base and building a new Virginia economy, and we are proud that Tadano Mantis is a part of our efforts.”

Morita- chief operating officer of Tadano Mantis – added: “We are very
excited about our Richlands plant expansion. We can hire more workers from local communities. We can have more suppliers and vendors locally, too. We are looking forward to seeing the completion of this expansion as soon as possible.”

Support for the state aid came from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Tazewell County Industrial Development Authority, and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority which approved $140,000 of funding, while the Governor’s Opportunity Fund donated $100,000 to assist Tazewell County with the project.

The company is also eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, while employee training grants will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

Doyle Rasnick, chairman of the Tazewell County Industrial Development Authority said: “We are very excited for Tadano Mantis as they embark on an expansion that will bring more skilled jobs to our county. They have a product that is not only being sold in the USA, but also expanding throughout the world. Our board has taken pleasure in working with them and helping them get to this point and will continue to work even more closely as they grow in the future.”

Virginia senator Benton Chafin also got a word in, saying: “The new investment by Tadano Mantis Corporation is a big step forward in bringing much-needed manufacturing jobs to Tazewell County. Manufacturing is a key factor to economic growth and helping the citizens of Southwest Virginia find new jobs.”

Mantis telescopic crawler cranes were launched in 1979 after the manufacturing company Spandeck acquired the rights to the Turtle Telescopic cranes and introduced a nine and 11.9 tonne models. The company went on to introduce further models and also entered the special mobile cranes for re-railing and recovering locomotives as well as a number of other special heavy duty cranes.

Spandeck was acquired by Tadano from the Mitchell family in December 2008, and is gradually being integrated in to the business. The crawler crane line now ranges from 27 to 120 tonnes.

The company headquarters in Franklin is on the southern outskirts of Nashville, the plant in Richlands, is a quiet relatively remote town in the mountains of south west Virginia.

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.

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.”

Manitowoc expands in Argentina

Buenos Aires-based construction equipment provider Covema has been appointed the distributor of Manitowoc crawler cranes and Grove mobile cranes in Argentina.

Currently a Manitowoc Crane Care partner, Covema will now offer the company’s full range of All Terrain, Rough Terrain and crawler cranes throughout Argentina. It will also be responsible for providing spare parts, service and training.

Manitowoc’s vice president of sales for South America, Cristian Galaz, said: “This alliance will enhance our presence in Argentina with products that serve customers in the energy sector and many other industry sectors.”

Established in 1965, Covema is also the distributor for a range of construction and mining manufacturers including New Holland, Wirtgen, Schramm, AFM, Hamm, Kleemann and Vögele. Based just outside of Buenos Aires, the company is in situated close to Manitowoc’s production facility in Passo Fundo, Brazil.

17 Tadanos for ALL Erection

US-based crane and access rental company ALL Erection & Crane Rental has ordered 15 units of Tadano’s 50 tonne GR-550XL Rough Terrain cranes as well as two 400 tonne ATF400G-6 All Terrain cranes.

The two 400G-6s, which will be based at the company’s Chicago and ALL Canada branches, feature a five section 60 metre main boom and a 76 metre luffing jib, offering a maximum under hook height of 122 metres. It is capable of lifting 360 tonnes at a three metre radius and taking 54.6 tonnes to 20 metres. The GR-550XLs feature a 34.7 metre main boom with an 8.8 to 15.2 metre bi-fold swingaway extension with offsets of five, 25 and 45 degrees.

ALL president Michael Liptak, said: “Tadano makes extremely reliable equipment that our customers trust. These new mid- and large-capacity cranes will be very busy immediately upon their arrival. We are expecting to see lots of infrastructure projects like bridges, road work, and commercial construction that the 450 tonne Tadano AT can easily get after. Lots of long-planned-for, though stalled, projects are finding their funding.”

ALL Erection & Cranes Rental is one of largest crane and equipment rental and sales companies in North America. Operating from 37 branches the company provides a range of cranes, aerial work platforms, telehandlers as well as other lift equipment.

All hands on deck

A Link-Belt RTC-80130 Series II rough terrain crane has been introduced to its operator and crew for the rigging peculiarities of the USS Constitution, a very old and stately vessel located in the Charlestown Navy Yard of the Boston National Historic Park.

The 130-ton capacity RT is being put to the test by the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Detachment Boston and their work on the USS Constitution as they ready the ship for dry dock refurbishment that will begin early this year. The USS Constitution, America’s Ship of State, is the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat in the world and is part of Boston’s Freedom Trail, which links Revolutionary War and other historic sites together to present the early history of Boston and the founding of the United States.

The crane constantly moves guns on and off the decks of the ship and from the ship’s holding area below deck. The crane also moves and lifts yards, masts, generators and all types of material including chains, rigging and a personnel platform.

In late August 2014, Detachment Boston used the RTC-80130 Series II to place three main sails on the frigate which included the mizzen topsail, the fore topsail and the main topsail. The main topsail is more than 80 feet long at the head, weighs 1,200 pounds, and like the other two topsails, is hoisted aloft to the yard by the RTC-80130 Series II and then “bent-on” by the ship’s crew. When set (opened up), the main topsail is 3,366 square feet – approximately the size of a regulation basketball court.

Throughout the day, operator Jon Stolarski and the rigging crew must take into account the rise and fall of the tide every six hours in Boston Harbor. The tide can shift as much as 12 feet or more. Winds also affect the movement of the ship; the north wind pushes the ship out from its lines, while the south wind pushes the ship against its camel (flotation device used to raise the buoyancy of the ship) and pier.

“The main topsail operation is easier, but requires more height,” said Stolarski. “With the boom extended 162 feet, the 80130 lifts the 80-foot long sail, folded in half, up and over the lines in a 90 degree swing to the tallest mast.”

Stolarski slowly lowered the sail to waiting Navy personnel and rigging crew about 104 feet above deck, and maintained the hooked load while the sailors spread the sail in unison.

The RTC-80130 Series II works at a 50-foot radius during the lifts, and between a 60 and 70 degree boom angle to lift the sails into place. The operator’s cab is angled up as high as it can go to get a better view of the sails and rigging that are then lowered to the sailors waiting on the respective yard to pull and secure it tight.

According to Milt Ryan, director of NHHC Boston Detachment, the new crane needed to be rigged with 165 feet of boom height to go up and over the USS Constitution’s shroud and rigging, even at high tide. Shrouds are the ladder-like standing rigging which supports the masts.

While in dry dock, the copper sheathing on the USS Constitution’s lower hull will be replaced and non-destructive testing will determine the condition of her underwater oak frames.

Before the USS Constitution enters Dry Dock No. 1 in the Charlestown Navy Yard in March of this year, the RTC-80130 Series II will have been used to prepare the dock that is also undergoing restoration to bring it up to a condition safe for the ship’s entry.

Dry Dock No. 1 opened in 1833 and is the second oldest dry dock in the United States. Twenty-nine new four-foot concrete keel blocks, weighing as much as 15,000 pounds each, will have been positioned on the floor of the dry dock where the ship will rest for her two-and-a-half year restoration period. The maneuverability of the RTC-80130 Series II will allow it to drive around the two sides and head of the 357-foot-long by 100-foot-wide by 32-foot-deep dry dock.

The crane has the capacity to reach more than 70 feet out, which will be useful when setting the keel blocks or working in the center of the ship.