Dematic unveils the Sideways Superlift

Dematic has produced what it calls the Sideways Superlift attachment to increase the ability of telescopic booms to withstand side loading.

First to use the new technology was the Ulferts & Wittrock Group from Oldenburg in Germany which used an AC 500-1 (rated at 500t) equipped with Sideways Superlift to erect wind turbines in Friesoyte.

According to Klaus Wittrock of Ulferts & Wittrock: “The very first job thoroughly confirmed the benefits of the new sideways Superlift concept.”

Sideways Superlift reduces the susceptibility of the boom system to the wind. And in the case of long booms at near vertical angles, it enhances lifting capacity, automatically unfolding to reduce lateral deflection as the boom angle increases, Dematic says.

The manufacturer claims that, as a general rule of thumb, the longer the boom configuration, the greater the increase in lifting capacity. For example, without the Sideways Superlift, the AC 500-1 equipped with a 51.7m extended main boom plus 4m adapter and 90m luffing jib can lift 3.1t. The Sideways Superlift attachment increases this value to 6t – almost doubling load capacity. For lifting heights likely to be needed for erecting wind turbines, the Sideways Superlift gives up to 50% more lifting capacity compared with the standard configuration, according to Dematic.

At medium and flat boom positions, the Sideways Superlift is used in the same way as the conventional Superlift in the direction of the load, thus increasing load capacity. The Sideways Superlift has its own hydraulic cylinders to make it quick to rig. The crane can also travel on site even when fitted with the attachment.

While wind farms are not the only application where Sideways Superlift might prove its worth, it is a market that Dematic is targeting. Firstly, wind farm construction is a growing market in Europe. And secondly because Sideways Superlift comes into its own in high winds – and wind farms are of course typically built in areas susceptible to windy weather.

By combining the effects of boom suspension in the load and side directions, a crane with Sideways Superlift can be deployed in winds that would make other cranes have to stop work. The Sideways Superlift of the Demag AC 500-1 gives significantly better overall stability of the boom system at steep angles, thus enabling the system to withstand far higher wind forces than other telescopic cranes. Greater accuracy during installation work is also claimed for the new system, thus improving both speed and safety.

Sideways Superlift is also available as an option on the 650t-rated AC 650 as well as the AC 500-1.

Dematic calls the Sideways Superlift ‘SSL’ for short. This should not be confused with the term that Dematic uses for the combination of heavy main boom with Superlift on its lattice boom cranes – which is also called SSL.