The Pittsburgh-based company chose the MLC165-1 to build the pier caps, but conditions on the job site made erecting the 182USt crawler crane difficult. The site was located at the bottom of a creek bed, where trucks could not easily traverse the wet, uneven soil to deposit the crane’s parts for assembly.
“The MLC165-1 had the size and capacity we needed to build the pier caps, so choosing it was easy,” said John Dove, superintendent for Mosites. “But since we were working on such uneven terrain, erecting it on the job site was a challenge. Our trucks couldn’t travel down the 17% grade to the bottom of the creek bed, so we needed a maneuverable lifting solution that could get the MLC165-1’s components to a level area where we could assemble them.”
In order to overcome this challenge the company put a Grove GHC75 telescopic crawler crane to work. The 75USt GHC75’s combination of crawler maneuverability, telescoping boom versatility and 100% pick-and-carry function enabled the contractors to move the crawler crane’s parts into position.
Dove said: “The crane can be 4 percent off level and still make picks, which is ideal in a swamp. We were able to extend the GHC75’s tracks and tackle the terrain without spending time and money on additional matting.”
Once the MLC165-1 was erected with 197ft of boom, operators used it to install 20USt sections of formwork, which were lifted to heights of 80ft. After the formwork, the crane lifted 17.5USt rebar cages, which were placed at 150ft. The pier cap installation was completed in August of 2017, and the bridge is on schedule for completion in early 2018.
Mosites rented both cranes from Stephenson Equipment, which is an official dealer of Manitowoc, Grove, National Crane and Potain cranes.
