Hiab unveiled its XS range of truck loader cranes and controls to about 200 customers and distributors at the ‘Hiab World Conference’ in Hockenheim, Germany in September (CT Oct00, p9). Hiab describes the XS as its most significant development in truck crane design for decades.
The idea is to be able to supply a crane that more closely matches the application and working environment than if it was simply a crane chosen from a seemingly endless list of models. Customers will now select a crane by function rather than by capacity class. Features of the XS concept include specification flexibility given by modular manufacturing, more power, better control and more choice, according to Hiab. More capacity from an all-new, lighter, steel structure is also claimed.
There is an initial range of four new families of models. Each of the four basic ranges has four models with different numbers of options – rather like specification or trim levels in a car. The CL version is a basic model, and features are added through the Duo and Pro models to the ‘fully loaded’ HiPro.
Smallest of the XS series is the XS 122 which spans the 11tm to 13tm range and has a maximum hydraulic outreach of 15.1m. Next comes the XS 144, with the same outreach but rated between 13tm and 15tm, followed by the XS 166, also with the same outreach but rated between 15tm and 17tm. Topping the current range is the XS 700, with a 66tm rating, a maximum hydraulic outreach of 20.7m and a stabiliser span of 9m.
These capacity ranges were chosen because, according to Hiab, the 10tm to 50tm range accounts for 25% of the world loader crane market and this segment has been growing at 5% a year for the last four years. With the largest new model, the XS 700, Hiab is entering a new market segment, and growth in the 70tm capacity class is running at 8% a year, Hiab says.
In addition to the four specification levels, there is a choice of four different control systems and three different boom types. The ‘B’ boom does not have links for extra capacity, unlike the ‘D’ boom which has a link on the second boom, and the ‘E’ boom which has a first and second boom link.
Hiab’s electronic safety systems MiniSPACE, SPACE 3000 and SPACE 5000 feature on the new cranes. Overload protection (OLP) is a safety feature of the SPACE system. At 90% of rated load the operator is warned of approaching safety limits and if these are exceeded OLP brings the crane to a smooth stop.
Many of the XS’s new features have been made possible by advances in electronics and their integration with hydraulics. Most significant of these, Hiab says, is Advanced Duty Control (ADC), an electronic system to increase efficiency. It identifies the type of work being done by the crane and then distributes power to the particular functions being used. Data to calculate this is gathered from the crane’s operating system during the first few minutes of a job. For simple lifting and loading work the more complicated hydraulic functions are not needed. Therefore, to boost lifting capacity by about 10%, ADC switches power from these to the main lifting axes. Fewer lifts are therefore needed to finish the job. Using ADC on the XS 122 Duo raises its capacity rating to 12tm, from the 11tm of the CL model. ADC features on the Duo, Pro and HiPro models and in effect it gives two cranes in one, according to Hiab.
To complement ADC, Pro models get Manual Speed Control (MSC). This system further increases capacity by around 10%. To achieve this, the speed of the first and second booms is reduced to 30% of normal. Instead of MSC, the HiPro specification has the patented Automatic Speed Control (ASC), another system to increase capacity, which gives a stepless transition between normal operating speed and the 30% of normal speed for the extra capacity.
HiPro models also include Pump Flow Distribution (PFD) which electronically controls several functions at the same time. It distributes the amount of oil in proportion to lever position so that functions are not shut down because of a lack of oil.
CL and Duo specification cranes use Hiab’s Valve 50 and can be controlled manually, or remotely by radio. Hiab’s RadioDrive has six proportional and four on/off functions and when in use the manual control levers cannot be operated. Valve 91, used on Pro and HiPro models, is a load sensing and pressure compensating design to give fast but gentle crane response in proportion to lever movement. These models can also be operated manually, or remotely by the new CombiDrive 5000. This system uses radio or cable for signal transmission and has a microswitch that can be used to reduce speed by up to 80% so that a load can be inched into position.
