Smaller capacity focus

12 February 2018


Apart from the 300t Demag AC 300-6, the rest of the all terrain cranes launched in the past year have a capacity of 100t or lower. Sotiris Kanaris reports on recent innovations in this crane segment.

When choosing an all terrain crane, buyers look at the economy, mobility and performance, as they aim to maximise the return on their investment. Smaller capacity all terrain cranes are very popular because of added benefits like affordability and greater versatility in terms of applications.

Over the past year, crane manufacturers have mainly focused on the development of all terrains with capacities that do not exceed 100t. Explaining the reasons behind the launch of the Grove GMK 4090, Manitowoc says it has identified an increased demand for lightweight taxi cranes in the 90t (100USt) capacity class.

The GMK 4090 represents a generational upgrade over the previous GMK4080-1/GMK4100B, which Manitowoc says it has been a popular crane among European crane rental companies.

Andreas Cremer, global product director of Grove all terrain cranes, says: “We spoke to many customers when designing this new crane to fully understand their needs and desires for cranes in this class.

When seeking to replace the very popular GMK4080-1/GMK4100B, we had to ensure that the GMK4090 would be extremely versatile in travel, set up and lifting options.”

It offers a 51m (167ft), six-section Megaform boom that uses Grove’s Twin-Lock pinning system. Increasing its overall reach is a 9/15m bi-fold swing-away jib that can be extended with a 6m boom extension for a total jib length of 21m.

The new taxi model can travel with a maximum 18.3t counterweight, and within 12t/ axle it can transport up to 9.1t to the job site without the need for an additional transport truck. “The result is a taxi crane with a strong capacity that can keep transport costs low,” says Manitowoc.

The crane features compact dimensions, with a narrow 2.55m width, so it can easily access and maneuver within tight job sites. It has a minimum tailswing of 3.53m, so it stays within the maximum outrigger width. The new crane also features Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS), an easy-touse operating interface that has now been standardised across the company’s crane offerings and is featured on every new model.

The MAXbase feature, a variable outrigger setting, is offered as an option for this crane.

“The GMK4090 has been designed with flexibility and maneuverability as main focuses,” says Cremer. “With its best-in-class taxi load chart and compact footprints, this crane will be ideal for a variety of jobs, such as general construction and plant maintenance work. Various counterweight options also give it versatility in roading, which can increase efficiency and return on investment for many owners.”

Manitowoc has also introduced the GMK4080-2, a similar crane with 80t (90USt) capacity. The GMK4090 will be released globally, whereas the GMK4080-2 won’t be available in North America.

Cremer said the GMK4090 and the GMK4080-2 models are essentially the same crane, but the GMK4080-2 carries less counterweight.

Manitowoc tells Cranes Today that the reason behind the launch of 80t version of the new crane, the GMK4080-2, is for those owners that want to replace their existing 80t cranes such as the GMK4080- 1 and for markets where this capacity class is important. The counterweight was chosen to match that load chart.

A number of crane rental companies have recently ordered or took delivery of Grove all terrain cranes; among them are: Schaak Kran & Transporte, Alanoca, Auto- Klug, Baldini Group, Musselli, Davies Crane Hire.

Liebherr’s newest all terrain crane also belongs to the 90t capacity class, the four-axle LTM 1090-4.2, which was first unveiled at ConExpo in Las Vegas. Danish crane and heavy haulage contractor BMS took delivery of the very first LTM 1090-4.2 in mid-December, and will run it from its Aarhus site.

Per Thorsen Christiansen, managing director at BMS’s Aarhus site says: “When the concept and the technical highlights of the LTM 1090-4.2 were explained to me a few months ago, I decided I had to have the first one of this new model.

The new 90t crane from Liebherr impressed me immediately because it has a very long telescopic boom, is just 2.55m wide and can carry a great deal of ballast with an axle load of 12t.”

The new Liebherr machine features a 60m telescopic boom, 10m more than its predecessor, the LTM 1090-4.1.

Despite the longer boom, whose weight particularly weighs down the front axles, Liebherr engineers managed to create uniform axle loads of less than 10t for the new LTM 1090-4.2 in order not to exceed a gross weight of 40t. To achieve this, the first axle was positioned in front of the front sliding beam box and the spacing between axles 2 and 3 has been extended.

The larger axle spacing also has a beneficial effect on road licences in many countries, says the manufacturer. This also creates more space in the ballast storage area on the undercarriage, which allows the ballast radius to be adjusted over a very large range.

The new LTM 1090-4.2 features VarioBallast, which means that it can be operated with two different ballast radii: 3.77m or 4.71m.

The ballast radius can be reduced by 940mm easily, using standard mechanically slewing ballasting cylinders to ensure that the ballast radius remains inside the supports. The system helps with work in constricted sites.

The maximum of 22.5t of ballast is distributed variably, so that in addition to the 10t and 12t axle load versions, uniform axle loads of 16t can also be achieved, for example for Great Britain. The greater space between axles 2 and 3 is used to store support timber.

This eliminates the need for a box for support timber at the rear of the vehicle. In addition, the new 90t crane has additional storage compartments for attachments and other equipment on the crane chassis.

Liebherr says: “The ability to carry up to 8.8t of counterweights with an axle weight of 12t is an outstanding value for a four-axle crane.”

In addition, a 9.5/16m folding jib is available which, as an option, can also be adjusted hydraulically between 0° and 40°. A 2m assembly jib and a rooster sheave, which can be swung to the side, round off the equipment list.

Liebherr innovations VarioBallast and VarioBase also deliver improved performance, flexibility and safety for this new crane model. The new LTM 1090-4.2 features ECOmode for crane operations to reduce fuel consumption and noise emissions.

On the one hand, the complete pump drive can be disconnected automatically when the engine is idling and then reconnected by the intelligent controller in a matter of seconds when it is required. On the other, the crane controller calculates the perfect engine speed for the working speed selected using the control lever to avoid unnecessarily high engine speeds.

According to the manufacturer, this results in fuel consumption being reduced by up to 10% during crane operations.

At BMS the new LTM 1090- 4.2 will replace a four-axle LTM 1070-4.1, and will be the smallest crane at the BMS site in Aarhus.

Christiansen said: “Two and three-axle mobile cranes are not popular in our region. That is why our range starts with four-axle models.

We use our cranes 90% of the time for construction projects, for example for steel fabrication, the assembly of prefabricated concrete components or for installing reinforcement steel for concrete foundations.”

Other companies who recently purchased Liebherr all terrain cranes are Sarens, Emerson Crane Hire, ALL Family of companies, Steve Foster Cranes and Steil Kranarbeiten.

In the last quarter of 2017, Chinese crane manufacturer XCMG also launched a four-axle all terrain crane, the XCA100E, which has a maximum hoisting capacity of 100t.

The XCA100E is equipped with a seven-section 60m boom and has a maximum hoisting height of 88m. The machine is 2.75m wide and 13.1m long.

A new energy-efficient hydraulic system helps the XCA100E reach a steady hoisting speed of 2.5m/min and a slewing steady speed of 0.1°/s.

The XCA100E features an in-house designed independent suspension system. It has four steering modes, including: crab walk, steep turning, front-axle turning, and rear-axle turning.

This machine has a minimum turning circle diameter of 15.8m, a maximum speed of 80 km/h, and maximum gradability of 60%.

The XCA100E is designed modularly, so that engines compliant with various emission standards may be used, allowing the machine to meet the global market requirements. XCMG cranes are involved in various projects inside and outside China. Recently an XCMG XCA220 all terrain and XCT130 truck crane were used to install seven bridges weighing 80t each in Zhangzhou City, a transportation hub on the southeast coast of China.

An XCA300U all-terrain crane was used for the installation of a natural gas tank, and lifted concrete blocks in preparatory work for the construction of a bridge in Pennsylvania, USA.

Terex launched the all terrain cranes with the lowest and highest capacities of the past year, the 45t Demag AC 45 and the 300t AC 300-6.

The manufacturer says the new three-axle Demag AC 45 “redefines compactness” in the 45t lifting capacity class. It has a total length of only 8.68m, a width of 2.55m, and an overall height of 3.16m.

“And the fact that its height can be reduced to less than 3m makes it unbeatable when space is at a premium, as is the case indoors,” says Terex.

The base section of its fully hydraulic 31.2m main boom is also particularly compact with its length of 7.8m, allowing the AC 45 City to work in buildings with a relatively low clearance while still keeping its boom at a steep angle. This feature makes this crane suitable for overhead cranes, assembling, as it can lift heavy loads at a small radius.

“Another advantage is its vast configuration flexibility, which makes it possible to customize the crane perfectly for the requirements at hand—for instance, with the 1.3m-long runner for loads of up to 25t or with the three-sheave hook block, which allows for six-part reeving. And with offsettable main boom extensions of 7.1m or 13m, the system length can be increased to an impressive 44.2m,” the manufacturer says.

In addition, the Demag AC 45 City also comes with features such as an axle load indicator, a hook height indicator, cruise control, and cameras for load, hook and hoist monitoring and for backing up.

Remote radio control and storage boxes are included as well. Like all Terex’s new cranes, the AC 45 City comes with the IC-1 Plus control system. This system calculates the crane’s lifting capacity for every boom position as a function of the superstructure’s slewing angle, and in real time to boot. This means that the lifting capacity for a specific radius is no longer limited to the lowest value for a pre-calculated 360° lifting capacity, as used to be the case. Instead, the crane can always take full advantage of the maximum available lifting capacity.

This advantage is particularly useful when it comes to lifts in which the outriggers are extended in an asymmetrical configuration, as it enables the Demag AC 45 City crane to take care of jobs that would normally be the exclusive job of larger cranes.

The new AC 45 City crane is also characterised by the fact that it is designed to stay in the 12t axle load limit, as the three-axle unit does not weigh more than 34t even when outfitted with its full equipment.

The crane will undergo further testing and is expected to be in serial production by the summer of 2018. Another recent all terrain crane launch by Terex is the 300t six-axle Demag AC 300-6 all-terrain crane, which is the first crane of its size in the Demag range equipped with a luffing jib.

It has an 80m (262.5ft) main boom, which can perform jobs at heights up to 78m or 74m radius without rigging a jib. It has a lifting capacity of 15t on fully telescoped 80m main boom, which according to the manufacturer makes it ideal for tower crane erection.

It is the smallest in the Demag range that can be outfitted with a luffing jib for superior reach and fly-over capabilities, bringing the maximum system length to 118m.

The well-proven luffing jib rigging system is the same as on the AC 350-6 and AC 1000-9 cranes.

Like the AC 45 City crane, the AC 300-6 features the IC-1 Plus control system. It is fitted with a single engine, with start and stop function to reduce idle times and total engine hours contributing to the reduction of fuel costs and preserving the crane’s residual value.

The Demag AC 300-6 uses a high number of interchangeable parts with the Demag 5-axle family all terrain cranes. The 21m double folding main boom extension of the five axle Demag cranes is compatible with the AC 300-6.

The compact design of the Demag AC 300-6 all terrain crane features a carrier length of 15.3m and a width of 3m.

“The crane is easy to position on the jobsite, thanks to its active all wheel steering that allows excellent maneuverability in tight spaces,” says Terex.

On the road, the Demag AC 300- 6 crane meets axle load limits from below 12 t (13.2USt) up to 16t and can travel up to 85 km/h (53mph).

It also has 800kg of extra payload capacity for carrying extra lifting accessories. It includes an axle load monitor, displayed on the dashboard, to help customers drive within the road-legal weight.

This model, like all Demag cranes in this product family, can be configured to comply with the variable axle weight limits in most states of North America and many other countries by connecting different types of boom dollies or removing the boom.

Bad-Schönborn-based crane service provider Eschbach was the first German customer to order the brand new Demag AC 300-6 all terrain crane. Explaining the decision to buy this crane general manager Thomas Eschbach says: “The AC 300-6 can lift a full 15t even with its main boom fully extended—that’s a monumental achievement for this lifting capacity class.” Poland’s Crane Rental also placed an order for this machine, as part of a larger order which also included two Demag AC 220-5 all terrain cranes.

Mammoet, Mayer Autokran- Vermietung, Aoki Juki, Detlef Urban and Jassim Transport & Stevedoring are some of the other crane rental companies who took delivery or placed orders for Terex- Demag all terrain cranes in the past few months.

The Demag AC 300-6 is the first crane of its size in the Demag range equipped with a luffing jib.
The handover of the four-axle LTM 1090-4.2 to BMS in winter conditions in Ehingen.
XCMG has launched a 100t four-axle all terrain crane, the XCA100E.
The new Grove GMK 4090, a generational upgrade over the GMK4080-1/GMK4100B.