Jaso hydraulic luffer debut

Spanish tower crane manufacturer Jaso has launched the J198HPA hydraulic luffing crane which made its debut on the Falcon Tower Cranes stand at UK trade show Vertikal Days.

According to Jaso the 18-tonne capacity crane is designed to meet the need for a high capacity luffer in the 200 to 350 tonne-metre range for high-rise construction in congested inner cities and other urban projects.

Trademark hydraulic ram

The J198HPA retains Jaso’s trademark hydraulic ram at the rear end of the tower so that when the crane is parked in its out of service (OOS) position, the piston is fully retracted. This is the ram’s strongest position and will help prolong its life, said Jaso.  

The crane has been designed to be quick and easy to erect by optimising weight and maximising pre-assembly. The ram, for example, comes fully pre-installed, complete with electric and hydraulic quick connectors.  

The hoist winch is integrated into boom allowing users to rig it whilst it is still on the ground, speeding up erection / dismantling and increasing safety.

All platforms and handrails are preinstalled adding to the crane’s sleek look. Access has been optimised, said Jaso, meaning a harness is no longer required when accessing control cabinets and main access points.

Weight optimisation

The crane’s weigh has been optimised. The tower head / slewing table is its heaviest part, weighing in at a total of 12.1 tonnes. The erection process, however, is fully adaptable as the component weight can be reduced to 6.8 tonnes, if required, enabling erection with a smaller assist crane.

Transportation

The J198HPA’s complete upper part can be transported via three lorries and a complete free-standing crane can be moved in five transport units.

Capacity configurations

The J198HPA has a maximum capacity of 18 tonnes with a three-part line configuration and a maximum tip load of 1.6 tonnes at 55 metres. It can also be run in Direct Pull-only mode using a special slim line hook block. In this configuration it has a maximum capacity of six-tonne and can lift 1.8 tonnes at 55 metres.

With a two-part line configuration, multiple load chart options are available (maximum loads of 8 t, 10 t or 12 t) and it is easy to switch between them on site, said Jaso.

Optimised boom

The boom starts at 30 metres and can be increased in 5 metre increments to a maximum jib length of 55 metres and a minimum OOS of 8 metres. Swing radius with concrete (or optional steel-framed counterweights) is 8.2 metres. With slim-line steel counterweights this can be reduced to 7.9 metres, facilitating further preassembly of the counter jib for faster assembly and enabling the crane to be located closer to the building.

Tower, base and winch systems

The new hydraulic model uses the standard 1.75 x 1.75 metre tower system with 12-, six-, and three-metre long sections providing a maximum free standing height of 38.1 metres. To increase height, the crane can fit the 2.16 metre tower system and 1.87 metre tower for three beam climbing.

The crane works with 4.5 x 4.5 metre and 6 x 6 metre cruciform bases, giving maximum hook heights of 38.9 metres and 44.8 metres respectively with 30 metre booms.

The J198HPA comes with two hoist winch packages of 45kw providing a maximum speed of 154 m/min and a 65kw high speed hoist giving a maximum speed of 227 m/min. The hoist drum can be specified with Lebus grooving and a secondary hoist brake is available as an option.

Eco mode

The crane comes with Eco mode system, enabling it to run on 75 percent of the crane’s full power (normal mode). In Super Eco mode it uses 50 % of the normal power consumption. It allows a crane with a bigger hoist motor to work on less current. This helps on sites with restricted power supply. Eco and Super Eco modes reduce the hoist speed but only when hoisting up. Lowering the hook is at same speed as when working in normal mode.

The crane was shipped straight from testing in Spain to the Falcon Tower Cranes stand at the Vertikal Days trade show in the UK. Falcon has ordered a total of five J198HPAs

Read about collaboration between Jaso and Falcon in the development of this crane in the tower crane feature in the October issue of Cranes Today.