Statics on the move
Tower cranes may be on the brink of a regional renaissance, CMME looks at the types of hi-risers that should be in high demand. A region-wide move to residential and infrastructure projects coupled with a drying up of tall tower construction dented the fortunes of static cranes in the past half-decade. This change in dynamic […]
Static tower cranes are moving into rental
Tower cranes may be on the brink of a regional renaissance, CMME looks at the types of hi-risers that should be in high demand.
A region-wide move to residential and infrastructure projects coupled with a drying up of tall tower construction dented the fortunes of static cranes in the past half-decade. This change in dynamic let mobile cranes – which offer greater financial flexibility – snaffle a major share of work on new projects, but do not write off the virtues of tower cranes just yet.
A move to rental-style operations from OEMS in collaboration with dealers and an abundance of stock has made them much more competitive again. Large scale projects, their bread and butter, are also seemingly back in fashion with Dubai’s Muhammed bin Rashid City the icing on top of a cake that sees high rise projects in the pipelines of Saudi, Kuwait and inevitably/eventually Qatar.
With a lot of the region’s inventory currently ageing towards obsolescence it is about time that we took a look at some of the types of new kit that is available in the marketplace.
Liebherr chose to use InterMat in Paris to unveil its new 380 EC-B 16 Litronic flat top crane, its series flagship, extending the series range to 380 ton-meters. In addition to lifting capacity, the 380 EC-B offers great versatility, a compact superstructure for convenient transport, Litronic controls and features for enhanced ease and safety during erection.
The 380 EC-B provides a maximum radius of 75 meters, and can lift up to 3,400 kilograms at the end of the jib. The model can be specified in either a 12- or 16-ton capacity rating.
The middle of 2012 saw Terex launch its new CTL 650 F45 luffing jib tower crane bringing into the new generation of extra-large capacity class luffing jib tower cranes.
The new model tops out the existing Terex tower crane range of 14 CTL luffing jib models, offering a maximum capacity of 45 tonnes and equipped with a 65-metre jib. Terex used the letter ‘F’ in the product name as a tribute to Ferruccio Moritsch, a pioneer and innovator in the tower crane industry, particularly the luffing jib tower crane, who passed away in July 2011.
The new crane boasts standard safety features such as jib walkways and handrails to provide a safe working environment for technicians during set-up and maintenance.
An anti-collision system is offered as an option to help the operator in planning and executing lifts, while avoiding collisions with other cranes or buildings. The CTL 650 F45 is also fitted with the Terex EVO 15 operator’s cab, which features five large windows for improved visibility. Released close to CTL was Linden’s newest flattop the 21 LC 660 tower crane although it later revised the four versions of this tower crane (with maximum loads of 18, 24 36 and 48 tonnes respectively) adding an extra 4m to the jib length taking its full extent to 84m.
The 21 LC 660 tower crane is well suited to the large industrial, public works, mining and infrastructure projects that currently dominate the market. It achieves a maximum jib length longer than most part of the tower cranes that are currently available in the market with similar characteristics.
Comansa has explained that it has lengthened the jib because, “at this moment, very few manufacturers can offer jib lengths longer than 80 meters in tower cranes with similar characteristics than the 21 LC 660, and even fewer have Flat-Top tower cranes with more than 360 tonne-meters”.
“Because of this, with its 84-meter-long jib, Flat-Top design, 660 tonne-meters and its highly competitive price, the 21 LC 600 showcases as one of the most attractive cranes on its segment.”
Towards the end of the year, Linden Comansa’s Chinese subsidiary COMANSA JIE exhibited its 21 CJ 400 Flat-Top tower crane and 110kw winch at Bauma China. The 21 CJ 400 from COMANSA JIE’s Hangzhou factory, with maximum load capacity of 18 tonnes. The Flat-Top tower crane can load up to 3,000 kilos at its maximum jib length of 80m.
Another western manufacturer producing cranes in China, Potain launched its first topless tower crane built in Asia, the MCT 385, with a 20 tonne maximum capacity.
The new crane is produced in Manitowoc’s manufacturing facility in Zhangjiagang, China, and is especially targeted to customers in Asia and other emerging markets. The MCT 385 has a maximum load moment of nearly 400 tonne/metres and was designed jointly by Potain engineers in Europe and Asia. The end result, according to Potain, is a crane that offers high-quality lifting performance in a design that suits the needs of regional customers.
Two types of mast sections are available for this crane. The DJ23 mast section is 2-meter-wide and especially useful for congested jobsites at standard heights and when internal climbing is needed, although a hydraulic cage for external climbing is available too. Bauma China saw a plethora of Chinese designed cranes that could soon be entering exports. Sany launched the 3600t Sany SCC86000A lattice boom crawler crane.
Meanwhile Yongmao launched its 100t luffing jib tower crane, STL1800C.
