Two large Terex all terrain cranes have successfully carried out a tandem lift in Kuwait of a 200-tonne bridge girder beam. The lift was part of the major spend by the State of Kuwait on infrastructure, with a highway expansion project that runs close to Kuwait City.
The expansion project includes a number of bridge spans and interchanges with crossing roads,and one such span near Kuwait City required the placement of a 200-tonne steel girder beam to support the bridge span. Due to the length of the beam, installation required a tandem lift.
Local rental and heavy lift company Integrated Logistics was called on by the construction contractor, who examined the site plans.
“After studying the lift’s requirements, we immediately knew our Terex AC 1000 and AC 500-2 all terrain cranes were the right machines for the job,” said Saleh Al Huwaidi, CEO of Integrated Logistics.
“They have the capacity needed to safely install the beam, and they are quickly driven to the jobsite and are very maneuverable.” Maneuverability was key for this pick, as both the jobsite and surrounding area were congested.
The AC 500-2 is an eight-axle crane with a 56 metre boom, and the AC 1000 is a nine-axle, 50m boom crane. Both were driven from Integrated’s yard in Kuwait to the project site with the main boom installed, significantly shortening crane set up time at the site and saving the company money.
“Our eight-man crew was able to install the counterweight, rig the cranes and have them ready for the lift in one day,” says Al Huwaidi.
The compact design of the two Terex cranes helped Integrated to quickly maneuver the city streets and congested jobsite. All-axle steering of the AC 1000 crane allowed the operator to effortlessly position the 1,200-tonne crane for the lift.
Twenty flatbed trailers transported 388 tonnes of counterweight plus accessories to the site over a two-day period. To simplify counterweight installation, Terex standardizes the weight and shape of these segments, so the same counterweight will work on either the AC 500 or AC 1000 crane.
Carrying half the beam load, the AC 1000 crane was rigged with 228 tonnes of counterweight and a 250-tonne hook block. For installation, the crane lifted the beam to an 8-m) height at a 17-m radius. “Even with the weight of the beam at this radius, the AC 1000 crane was at less than 73% of safe working load (SWL),” says Christian Kassner, senior manager sales & customer support for Terex Cranes.
The smaller crane was positioned to lift 102.2-tonnes of the girder’s weight. Equipped with 160 tonnes of counterweight, the crane easily hoisted the beam into position at a 12.5-m radius, safely operating at less than 82% of SWL.
Crews successfully installed the 200-tonne bridge girder beam and began their work to de-rig both the AC 1000 and AC 500-2 all terrain cranes. Within a week of leaving the yard, both cranes were back at Integrated’s facility and ready for the next project.
“We chose to use mobile cranes for the project, since they are better for a single lift,” says Al Huwaidi. “We chose the Terex cranes because the service is excellent and reliable, and Terex provides strong technical support to our maintenance team.”