TRUCKS AND BOOMS

Truck cranes and boom trucks are usually considered distinct product groups but new product on show at the Conexpo show in Las Vegas in March, such as a 40 US ton capacity boom truck from National Crane, made the boundary look quite blurred.

Similarly, National’s sister company Grove Crane blurred the truck crane/all-terrain crane distinction by presenting the ATS 540, “the truck crane that thinks it’s an all-terrain crane”. Cross-pollination is rife.

Big boom trucks

National’s 1800 series, with 40 US ton (36.3t) capacity and a maximum vertical reach of 175ft (53.3m) when fitted with the optional 26ft (7.9m) jib, is one of the largest boom trucks on the market. Unlike conventional boom trucks, the 1800 has a fully enclosed operator cab. It also has swinging counterweight. National hopes these large boom trucks will challenge the traditional dominance of Kato and Tadano truck cranes, especially in the Asia Pacific region.

National Crane has had five straight years of record revenues and the cranes are liked by US operators, the company believes. So hopes are high for a big international push. John Wheeler, recently appointed president of Grove Worldwide’s Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) operations, says that one of his key objectives is to increase market penetration of the National product in his regions. To do this, he says, he needs to find a suitable commercial chassis to mount them on.

USTC, acquired by Manitowoc last year, has also brought out a 40 US ton boom truck this year. The 40MTC, the company says, is “a true 40 ton truck crane rated at a 9ft load radius”. The 96ft (29.3m) main boom can give a maximum tip height of 150ft (45.7m) when fitted with the 32ft to 49ft (9.8m to 14.9m) two section offsettable jib. USTC expects the 40MTC, built on a commercial chassis unit, to compete against traditional truck cranes.

Another large boom truck is the Manitex M38100S, a 38 US ton (34.5t) model launched last year with a 100ft (30.5m) main boom, intermediate outrigger spreads and a counterweight. It can have 56ft (17.1m) of jib and features a turret-mounted operator platform.

The 777T

Manitex’s sister company, Manitowoc Crane, has produced truck mounted versions of its crawler cranes before, such as the 4100T and M250T. Now it has brought out a truck-mounted version of its 777, exhibited at Conexpo. Before the show it had sold 18 units of the 220 US ton (200t) rated, lattice boom crane, and 25 by the end of it. Nevada-based Shaw Construction was the first to take delivery of the 777T and Bob Shaw reckons it “outlifts its competitors by 15% to 25% across the board.” Manitowoc designed the carrier with two steering and three drive axles, a 500hp (373kW) engine and six speed automatic transmission, giving a maximum road speed of more than 60mph (97kmh). The driving cab is single seat.

Maximum lifting capacity is at 11ft (3.4m) radius with 25ft (7.6m) of boom. With the 60ft (18.3m) basic boom, at a 13ft (4m) radius, the 777T lifts 182 US tons (165t). Even with the long reach boom at 298ft (91m), 58,800lb (26.7t) can be lifted at a 45ft (13.7m) radius.

Innovatively, Manitowoc will supply rolling outriggers and accompanying lifting charts so the 777T can be “officially” used to pick and carry. Users have fitted their own rolling outriggers to such cranes in the past, but without manufacturer’s official approval or proper charts.

Though Manitowoc has mounted its crawler cranes on trucks before, general manager Ron Schad acknowledges that if Manitowoc is to be a major player in the truck crane market and take on the likes of Link-Belt, it needs to make a big acquisition, which he has ambitions to achieve.

Boss booms

Additions to Link-Belt’s truck crane range include the HTC-8640, a 40 US ton (36.3t) successor to the 8630. The four section boom extends from 33ft to 105ft (10m to 32m), and uses the two-mode A-max telescope proportioning system. Jib options include a 28ft (8.7m) single stage swingaway and a 28ft to 51ft (8.7m to 15.5m) two stage swingaway which gives a maximum tip height of 162ft (49.4m). Both attachments can be offset at 2O, 20O or 40O. For heavy lifts at small radii the A-max system allows the operator to extend just the inner-mid section for optimum strength and stability.

The patented Boss boom is designed to have more steel in the corners for strength where it is needed the most.

The 350hp Cummins ISC350 8.3 litre engine matched with an Eaton RTX-11609B, nine-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmission gives a travel speed of more than 60mph (97kmh). Two counterweight configurations and a 40ft (12.2m) overall length help meet road regulations.

If there is not enough space to fully extend the outriggers they can be set at an intermediate position. Link-Belt also fits its Microguard 434 rated capacity limiter which allows the operator to key in two points and create an imaginary vertical plane to maintain a safe working distance from obstacles. If this is impinged upon, the alarm sounds.

Construction details include a laminated fibrous composite cab and all parts are painted before assembly which gives better corrosion resistance and a neater appearance, particularly after any service or maintenance work involving component disassembly has been carried out.

Link-Belt’s HTC-8640 competes directly with Grove’s 40 US ton (36.3t) TMS 540, launched last year, which has a three section 90ft (27.4m) boom) as standard, or as an option a four-section 115ft (35.1m) boom, which Grove claims to be the longest boom offered on a three-axle truck crane (Link-Belt points out that the 8640 has the longest standard boom on a three-axle truck).

The TMS 540 has bi-fold 30ft or 54ft (9.1m or 16.4m) swingaway extensions which are offsettable at 1.5O, 25O or 45O, offering increased up-and-over reach.

Power comes from a 300hp (224kW) Caterpillar engine coupled to a six speed Allison automatic transmission to give a top speed of 65mph (105kmh). It has sprung walking beam suspension and the outrigger cylinders are inverted to protect the rods on site.

Best of both worlds

Based on the TMS 540, the ATS 540 is an attempt to bridge the gap between truck cranes and ATs and is described by Grove as “the truck crane that thinks it’s an all-terrain crane.” The idea of the all-wheel drive, all-wheel steer truck crane is to have the benefits of an all-terrain crane without losing out on the road performance and price of a truck crane. Like the TMS 540 it has a 300hp (224kW) Caterpillar engine, Allison automatic transmission and sprung walking beam suspension but it has 17.5 inch high-flotation tyres, to give it better off-road capabilities. Standard and optional booms are the same as the TMS 540. Its downside is that maximum speed is 52mph (84kmh) instead of 65mph (105kmh).

As for all-terrain models, Grove’s German operation has just launched the GMK 5180 (5210 in North America), a 180t (210 US ton), five-axle AT with a 60m TwinLock boom. The US version has a detachable outrigger box. More details of this crane will be contained in next month’s Cranes Today.

Following on next year will be the 6300-1, the 6200-1 and the 5100, all with ECOS, EKS4, new boom shape and TwinLock. There are also longer term plans for a 500t AT, and a six-axle 80 tonner, GMK 6180, may also be offered.