Texas, USA-headquartered MEI Industrial Solutions is the first crane firm to use a Link-Belt Cranes’ 300|AT all terrain. The lifting specialist added the 300 ton (275 tonne) crane to its fleet in June 2025 and it has been using it to unload various components for data centre construction.
Decked with full counterweight at 162,00lb, the crane is lifting chillers weighing 30,000lb fully rigged at a 60-foot radius at MEI’s Chantilly, Virginia, staging yard near Dulles International Airport. The chiller loads are being delivered from Laredo, Texas, for the growing data centre market in northern Virginia, an area accounting for 13 percent of worldwide operational capacity.
“We lift chillers, generators, you name it,” says MEI crane operator Joshua Luis of the company’s current operations. According to Luis, the 300|AT’s highway travel is impressive; he even likens it to driving a Cadillac down the road.
Luis also cited the crane’s remote-controlled outriggers, ease of assembly, and Pulse 2.0 system as being a major highlight.
“Pulse 2.0 makes operating the 300|AT easy,” Luis says. “If I have any trouble, I can call Link-Belt Mid-Atlantic, and they can assist and keep me working.”
As a single-engine machine, the crane is also simple to maintain. Similarly, Luis says its fine metering capabilities aid it in traversing compact areas and setting equipment in tight spots, where its boom speed and swing controls are especially helpful.
“With the 300|AT I can pick generators with a six-part line that other cranes would need eight parts of line for,” Luis says. “That makes work a lot smoother and a lot faster.”
He says the 300|AT excels in the yard despite its frequent need to travel across it and manoeuvre in tight quarters, noting the crane’s turning radius, suspension, and steering functionalities as particularly efficient. Its cab windows and standard camera package offer advanced visibility to optimise work site travel, as well.
“In terms of the crane moving around on the job site, this is definitely the best crane that I’ve worked in,” Luis, who has 25 years of crane operating experience, says. “It’s working great for me.”
In its brief time working for MEI, Luis says the 300|AT has already proven its value and earned his recommendation.
“If anyone’s looking into getting a 300 ton, this is definitely one to get,” Luis says. “It’s a really good crane.”
IMAGE CORRECTION
In the rough terrain cranes feature in the July issue of Cranes Today, on page 19, we erroneously printed a picture of a Link-Belt 225 AT all terrain crane at Link- Belt’s CraneFest 2024 event rather than a 65|RT. Sorry to readers for any confusion caused. Below is the image we should have printed, supplied by Link-Belt.
