Manitowoc designs wind attachment feature
24 August 2012 by Cristina BrooksManitowoc has launched a new feature, called the Boom Raise System (BRS), for the 400t 16000 Wind Attachment, designed to raise longer Wind Attachment boom lengths.
With the extra boom height allowed by the BRS, attachment users can install nacelles on 100m wind turbine towers without using a support crane, Manitowoc said.
The BRS can lift a longer boom system, combining 107m (351ft) of Wind Attachment Boom plus 7.6m (25ft) of Extended Upper Boom Point (EUBP).
At a 20m radius, it can lift loads weighing up to 87.9USt (96.8t) with 107m (351ft) of boom plus 7.6m (25ft) of EUBP.
Previously, customers were limited to 92m plus the EUBP.
The BRS is a large hydraulic cylinder within a special 3m boom insert section that attaches to the boom butt.
The boom raising cylinder extends downward onto prepared ground or matting to exert an upward force on the boom.
Once the boom angle is 38 degrees, the boom hoist fully takes over.
The system is designed for minimal set up and operator action, Mantiwoc said.
To operate the system, operators extend a switch in the operator's cab to contact the ground or matting.
Then the operator controls the boom hoist handle while the crane's operating system automatically controls the BRS.
After reaching a boom angle of 38 degrees, the cylinder must be manually retracted.
Operators can perform the same steps in reverse to lower the boom.
Manitowoc launched the original Wind Attachment feature two years ago, increasing the capacity of the crane by nearly 50% at short radii.
But standard wind tower heights continue to rise from 80 to 100m, requiring crane users to obtain not only an increase in capacity and reach, requiring longer and heavier booms.
Jerry Maloney, global product director at Manitowoc Cranes, said: "Our goal in developing the Boom Raise System was to eliminate the need for investment in either a larger capacity crane or a second support crane to lift heavier booms on the job.
"The Boom Raise System provides the extra boost needed to raise the boom until the standard boom hoist system fully takes over."
The BRS is available for shipping to Manitowoc 16000 crawler crane clients worldwide.
