Makeover for RTs

The past 12 months or so have seen new rough terrain cranes launched with what is probably unprecedented intensity. The manufacturers that have been busiest reinvigorating their RT programme are Grove Crane and Link-Belt, though Terex and Tadano have not been static. Behind all this development lies an increasing urgency to keep up with the game. In previous years an RT model stayed in production for up to 10 years. Today the market life of an RT model is three to four years, Grove reckons, which is quite a problem when until recently it took Grove three or four years to get a new machine from drawing board to market place. Helped by new management methods, called integrated product development, Grove’s newest RTs took less than a year to get out. The downside of updating, refreshing or completely renewing products is that it hits resale values and devalues the assets of the crane-buying customers. Conexpo ’99 and the months that followed saw the launch of three new RTs from Grove, or five if you include associated variant models. These are the 30 ton RT 530E, the 600E series (40 ton and 50 ton models) and the 700E series (50 ton and 60 ton models). From Link-Belt we now have the RTC 8070 (the largest RT that Link-Belt has ever produced), the 40 ton RTC 8040 Series II and the 30 ton RTC 8030 Series II which, as its name suggests, is a redesigned version of the 8030. Link-Belt has enjoyed success with its truck and crawler cranes in recent years and has given the impression of being not so interested in the RT. With these three models launched last year, it hopes to dispel that impression very firmly. It anticipates an 8% growth in its share of the North American market this year. While Grove and Terex are building for the world market, including the not insignificant Middle East, Link-Belt (owned by Sumitomo of Japan) is really only targeting the Americas. Tadano generally has different versions of its machines for different markets. The USA used to trail Japan as a market for RT cranes, but 1999 saw about 1,500 new RTs delivered to US customers (excluding the smaller industrial, or yard, cranes such as those manufactured by Broderson and Shuttlelift). In Japan the figure was around 1,100 last year. Europe, often wrongly considered as purely an all-terrain market, took about 250 RTs, while the rest of the world took more than 300. Though its shipments have been very much reduced by the downturn in demand in Japan and Asia, Tadano can still be reckoned to be the biggest manufacturer of RT cranes, selling about 700 in Japan and 150 overseas last year, and it forecasts an increase in these figures this year. Terex, though, claims to have a market share in the USA of more than 40%. With serious competition from Grove and Link-Belt in the 30 ton category, that may not survive the year. 30 ton range In the 30 ton category, where Terex’s price-led strategy has helped it become so strong, Grove and Link-Belt have new machines with which to compete. In fact, Grove believes that its new RT 530E has already overtaken Terex as market leader in the 30 ton segment in North America, having started in full production in June last year. In the short space of six months since the launch, Grove has sold more than 120 units. Grove also has great hopes for this machine in the Middle East where Terex PPM does well (see box on page 25). This crane, shown at Conexpo last year, is the first of the new ‘E generation’ (to steal a phrase from youth culture) of Grove RTs. The RT 530E’s 29m four-section, full power boom is “the best in its class”, says Grove. The boom is fully synchronised for equal extension of sections and is controlled by a single lever. A three-sheave, quick-reeve boom nose is standard for ease of reeving changes. With main boom only, maximum tip height is 31.2m and maximum working radius is 26m. Optional boom extensions include a 7.9m fixed length swingaway with 0° and 30° offsets. Also available is a 7.92m to 13.7m telescoping swingaway with 0° and 30° offsets. Maximum tip height is 44.5m. A swingaway alignment device aids erection of the swingaway. All wheel drive is standard, as is four mode steering. The operator can select front-only, rear-only, crab or coordinated steering. A graphic display LMI system provides audio/visual warning with electronic display of boom angle and length, relative load moment indication, rated load, radius and boom tip height. The new “work area definition system” helps the operator to define and preselect work areas and keep clear of jobsite obstructions. Other standard operational, comfort and convenience items include acoustical cab lining, tinted glass, a six-way adjustable seat with armrest-mounted single-axis crane controls, full engine instrumentation, a flameless hot water heater/defroster which requires no additional fuel source, opening skylight with electric wiper, and circulating air fan. The RT 530E comes with 6 x 36 class wire rope and 27t hookblock and 6.8t headache ball. The grooved-drum hoist provides an available line pull of 5,390kg and permissible line pull of 4,581kg. Maximum single line speed is 131m/min. A matching optional auxiliary hoist with auxiliary boom nose is also available. Power is provided by a Cummins 6BT 5.9 litre, 113kW diesel engine. The Powershift transmission provides 6 speeds forward and reverse. Inverted outrigger jacks provide protection from jobsite damage to the outrigger cylinder rods. Dash mounted outrigger controls allow the operator to position the outrigger beams at three points: fully retracted, half extended, or fully extended. Other standard equipment includes hook block tie-down, towing/lifting/ tie-down lugs, dual rear view mirrors and hoist mirrors. The RTC-8030 is part of Link-Belt’s new Series II of RTs which have a new carrier featuring automotive style 4-Link suspension with Link-Belt’s patented optional ‘Hydro-gas Ride’. The fully independent rear 4-Link suspension is designed to reduce the inherent ‘bouncing’ or pitching at medium speeds and improve handling, manoeuvrability and turning radius. The optional Hydro-gas Ride further reduces pitching. It acts as a shock absorber through a charged accumulator system. “Without Hydro-gas, it offers 100% improvements. With Hydro-gas, it takes it even further,” claims marketing and sales director Bill Stramer. The RTC-8030 Series II has the same Cummins 6BT 5.9 litre engine that powers the rival Grove model, and it has new swing-out engine hood doors to improve engine access. The crane features a standard 9.1m to 23.8m, full power, quick reeve three-section boom or an optional 8.8m to 27.7m, full power, quick reeve four-section boom. Three new swingaway attachments are available. A basic 7.6m fixed attachment, an 8.2m, one-stage, swingaway attachment and an 8.2m to 13.4m, two stage, swingaway fly. Both attachments offset to 2°, 20°, and 40°. The 13.4m attachment in combination with the main boom brings the maximum tip height to 43.6m. The RTC-8030 also has no reduction in capacity with stowed attachments, simplifying the crane’s capacity charts. The new RTC-8030 also has Link-Belt’s ‘A-max’ boom lift mode and the ‘Boss’ boom design. For heavy lifts at short radii, the ‘A-max’ mode (or mode A) allows the operator to extend only the inner-mid section of the boom to maximise the crane’s optimum strength and stability. The ‘Boss’ is a boom design of high-strength angle chords with high formability sidewall embossment with no welds, placing the most steel at the corners where the maximum stress is concentrated. As with Grove’s RT 530E, three outrigger positions is standard. The RTC-8030 II’s Microguard 434 rated capacity limiter, which is integrated with the dash design, allows the operator to key in parameters to create an imaginary vertical plane setting limits for safe working distance from any nearby obstacles. Should the crane’s boom go outside the operator-defined limits, the RCL will sound an alarm. The RCL also improves the crane’s efficiency and production by ensuring the crane is operated within the lift chart. The operator’s cab has a neoprene seal to cut noise and vibration. It also has tinted glass, sliding rear and right side windows, swing-up roof hatch, four-way adjustable tilt/telescoping steering wheel, drum rotation indicators, outrigger sight level bubble and a six-way adjustable seat. A feature that Link-Belt is proud of is that all its cranes are pre-painted before assembly, which according to proponents of pre-painting, makes the finished crane look better. Grove, however, is now also introducing pre-painting for all its E generation RTs, which are going out in the new brighter yellow with grey undercarriage colour scheme. By the end of the year, says Grove, all its cranes – trucks too – will be pre-painted and bright yellow. One of Terex’s two new models of the past 18 months comes in at this category too. Its RT 200XL series covers the range 20 ton to 30 ton. It is a long boom version of the RT 200 series and features a four-section 30.5m full power boom, offering a maximum tip height of 44.8m, outreaching the new Grove and Link-Belt 30 ton models. Its swingaway jib is offsettable at 0°, 15° and 30°. The RT 200 and 200 XL series both have four-wheel power steering for two-wheel, four-wheel or crab steer. Maximum line speed is 144m/min and maximum line pull is 5,673kg. Terex’s RT 300 series has the same boom and broadly the same specifications as the 200 series except that this series covers the capacity range 30 ton to 35 ton capacity. Other key differences are that the RT 300 has only three reverse speeds compared to six on the RT 200, and line speed is increased to 162.5m/min and maximum pull is 7,093kg. These cranes are also up against Tadano’s TR 300XL-3 which has a 10m to 32m boom and a maximum height under hook of 45.4m. Tadano began selling this in the USA in late 1998 and showed it at Conexpo last year in the colours of Imperial Crane. New on the market in Europe at this sort of capacity level are Sennebogen’s 30t rated 630M and Kobelco’s 25t RK 250-5. Sennebogen’s machine is a compact RT designed for compact urban sites. The continuously adjustable four-section boom extends from 7.4m to 26m, reaching 28m with the addition of a lattice jib. Kobelco’s RK 250-5, replacing the RK 250-3, is the Japanese manufacturer’s first RT to have left-hand drive (cab mounted on the left). In response to customer requests, Kobelco is now offering left-hand-drive as an option on the RK 200, RK 250-5 and RK 500-2, without any increase in purchase price. 40 ton range According to Terex’s product catalogue, its RT 400 series comprises the RT 440, 445 and 450, rated at 40 ton, 45 ton and 50 ton respectively. So presumably all these machines are available if one asks. But according to senior vice president Craig Lichty, Terex does not really compete in the 40 ton category, jumping straight from 35 ton to 50 ton, suggesting that the RT 450 is main production model from the 400 series. The upshot is that Link-Belt and Grove now slug it out alone, head to head, with their new cranes in the 40 ton class. A few months after the RT 530E was shown at Conexpo, Grove unveiled its 600E and 700E series. As one would expect, all the E-designated RTs share many common features, including the same cabs and LMIs, counterweight removal system, outrigger system and four mode all-wheel steer. Many features come as standard which others have only as options. The RT 640E boasts lifting capacities more than 30% stronger than its predecessor, the RT 640C, in parts of the chart. Boom length and maximum reach are unchanged, however. The 10.4m to 32m full power boom and 8.8m to 15.5m swingaway give a maximum tip height of 49.4m. The engine is a 123kW Cummins, giving a travel speed of 40kmh. Grove shipped the first units at the end of January, by which time Link-Belt had come from nowhere to take 45% of the North American market in the 35t to 39.9t (38.6 ton to 44 ton) category that is used for gathering sales statistics. The reason? Its new RTC-8040 Series II. This crane shares many features with the RTC-8030 II including the 4-Link suspension with optional Hydro-gas Ride, the Microguard 434 RCL and the A-Max and Boss boom features. The four-section main boom telescopes from 10m to 32m. An 8.7m one-stage swingaway and an 8.7m to 15.5m two stage swingaway are available as attachments, both offsetting to 2°, 20° and 40°. Maximum achievable tip height on the RTC-8040 II is 49.7m (63ft to Grove’s 62ft). Again matching its Grove competitor, the RTC-8040 II is powered by a Cummins 123kW 5.9 litre engine and reaches 40kmh travel speed. It also has a Funk 8-speed (8 forward and 4 reverse) powershift transmission. The RTC-8040 Series II also has a fibre-reinforced polymer cab, which Link-Belt calls the ‘Ultra-Cab’ and says is roomier and quieter than traditional cabs. The overhead console contains backlit gauges and toggle switches. Cornerpost-mounted gauges monitor oil, fuel and water levels. An automotive style windscreen and large side and overhead windows provide the operator with 25% more glass than before for a full vision working environment. The dash-less design, lift up arm rests and a wide opening slide-by-door makes it easier for operators to get in and out. “This machine is performing very well in the market,” says Link-Belt product manager Pat Collins. “The features we ‘banked on’ are hitting home with the users and our backlog is strong.” 50 ton range Grove offers two new cranes rated at 50 ton. From the 600E series there is the RT 650E, which is basically the same crane as the 640E but has a larger lift cylinder and hookblock to raise its lifting capacity from 40 to 50 ton. Then there is the RT 750E, the standard model from the 700E series. For an explanation of the differences between the 650E and the 750E, refer to the box story Grove rationalisation, left. What makes Grove’s RT 750E stand out is its use of the Krupp ‘Megaform’ boom, brought over to the US factory from Grove’s all-terrain crane plant in Germany. Thanks largely to this boom, the crane claims lifting capacities 10% greater than the predecessor RT 750. Full power main boom reaches 33.5m but a 10m to 17.1m swingaway and a GMK-style 6.1m lattice insert for swingaway give it a maximum tip height of 59m. It is powered by a Cummins 160kW engine, again offering maximum travel speed of 40kmh. Grove shipped its first field 700E models in March. Terex’s RT 450 features a four-section boom that extends to 32m. With an offsettable swingaway jib the maximum tip height achievable is 50.9m. As with all Terex’s RTs, it has a two-speed main and auxiliary winches, quick-reeving boom head and hook block, independent multi-position outriggers and an RCI 500 rated capacity indicator. 60 ton range From the Grove 700E series, discussed above, is the 60 ton rated RT 760E. In January last year Grove upgraded its RT 855B and 865B to become the RT 860 and RT 870 with 60 ton and 70 ton (55t and 65t) maximum lifting capacity respectively. At time of launch Grove boasted that they featured “the longest full-power booms in their class” with 35m on the RT 860 and 38m on the RT 870 and maximum tip heights of 56m and 59m respectively. But Grove’s boast was not good for long. At 60 ton, Terex’s RT 160 also has a four-section 35m main boom and a maximum tip height of 56.7m. At this size, Terex moves away from the dash mounted controls of its smaller models to an armrest mounted joystick or twin lever controls for swing, boom hoist and main and auxiliary winch. Foot pedals control swing brake, boom telescope, service brakes and engine throttle. At 65 ton, Tadano’s TR 650 XXL-3 has a five-section 42.2m main boom and maximum height under hook with jib of 59.5m. This crane was launched at Conexpo in March 1999. The TR 650 XXL-3 is designed specifically for North America. This year Tadano has brought out a 60t-rated version for sale in Europe, the TR 600EXL, whose five-section boom also extends to 42.2m. Tadano also has the 60 ton TR 600XL, with a four-section 35m main boom and maximum height under hook of 52.4m with jib attached. 70 ton and above The new 70 ton capacity RTC-8070 is the biggest RT that Link-Belt has produced to date and its 61.5m maximum tip height is the first American RT to break through 200ft with a four-section boom, Link-Belt says. You reach that far with a five-section boom too, but it would take longer to telescope out and back again. The main boom is 12.5m long retracted and 39.7m fully extended, again beating the aforementioned Grove RT 870 which it competes against. Two new swingaway attachments are offered on the RTC-8070: a 12m single-stage swingaway and a 12m to 20.4m two-stage swingaway, both with 2°, 20° and 40° offsets. The rated capacity limiter is again a Microguard 434, now standard on all Link-Belt’s telescopic boom cranes. The cab on this machine is again the ‘Ultra-Cab’, as seen on the 8040. Terex premiered its RT 1100 at Conexpo last year, a 100 ton rated RT with a 45m boom shipped over to its Conway factory in the USA from Terex PPM in France. The boom is taken from PPM’s 110t capacity all-terrain ATT 1300. Demand for such a machine has been quite limited for such a large RT however, with just four units sold to date. Terex does more business with its RT 175 and RT 190 models, rated at 75 ton and 90 ton respectively.