The counterweight boxes are also designed to be utilised across multiple crane platforms.
Manitowoc has announced that it has sold 10 units of its new MLC300 crawler cranes to US-based ALL Erection & Crane Rental Corp.
The MLC300, a 300 metric tonne crawler, was launched at Conexpo in March, and boasts Manitowoc’s Variable Position Counterweight (VPC) technology. VPC automatically positions the counterweight in response to the required lift, has a number of features that will reduce operational costs.
The counterweight moves along the rotating bed and is automatically positioned based on changes in boom angle.
Rick Mikut, crawler crane division manager at ALL, said obtaining the new cranes will help the company save time and money on job sites.
“We can reduce the number of required mats by half,” he said. “That’s thousands of dollars in savings per month, and that’s saying nothing of the reduced counterweight loads and the savings realized by reducing the required job site prep area.”
Michael Liptak, president of ALL said the VPC marks a new era for crawler cranes.
“This is our bread-and-butter capacity range, and being able to create savings for our customers at this capacity is part of why customers choose ALL,” he said. “Without hyperbole, I tell you that this technology will change the crawler category.”
According to Manitowoc’s John Kennedy, SVP crawler cranes, the advantages for customers include reduced ground preparation, lower ground-bearing pressure and less counterweight, without sacrificing capacity. Customers will not have to buy, transport or install as much counterweight compared with a traditional configuration. The counterweight boxes are also designed to be utilised across multiple crane platforms.
“For the Manitowoc MLC300, we interviewed customers around the world,” said Kennedy. “The result is an innovative crane that is geared toward their needs. Customers will be able to lift heavier loads to higher reaches, reduce the time spent preparing the site for lifts, and ultimately, save money. The VPC’s breakthrough technology will help customers become more dynamic and nimble on the job than once thought possible.”