Germany is the natural home of the all-terrain crane. It is where Liebherr builds its LTM models, Demag its AC series, Grove its GMK models (and Krupp the KMK series before it), and it is where Faun builds the ATF all-terrains. It is also where Compact Truck builds its ATs, and now, thanks to a licensing arrangement with Compact Truck, Terex is itself building these very same models. It seems appropriate, therefore, to kick off our preview of what to see at Bauma 2001 with the telescopic all-terrain sector.
Tadano Faun
Usually placed fourth in the German league, Tadano Faun has this year earned its position at the top of this particular article by launching four new models at the show – three all-terrains and a recovery crane – the result of an unprecedented period of new product development for the company. Bauma is also the focus of celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the founding of Tadano Faun GmbH which was established in the year after Tadano of Japan acquired Germany’s Faun.
The three-axle ATF 45-3 lifts 45t at 2.7m and 40t at 3m. The U-shaped five-section boom telescopes from 9m to 34m, to which can be added off-settable extensions of 8.5m and 15m. A glance at the preliminary chart reveals that it is rated to lift 9t on full 34m boom at a 7m radius, or 1.1t at a maximum working radius of 30m.
The carrier is 6x6x6 drive/steer as standard, powered by a 240kW Mercedes-Benz engine, and has an overall length of 10.43m. A new feature for Faun is the ZF AS Tronic transmission with 12 forward and two reverse gears.
This model replaces Faun’s 40 tonner but is being targeted to compete in the same class, rather than in the 50t class.
Faun’s second new all-terrain is the ATF 80-4. The most important development for Faun on this crane is a new single-cylinder boom extension system with ‘fully automatic interlocking’ for which a patent has been applied. It is the first single cylinder boom from either Tadano or Faun. The crane lifts a maximum 80t at a 2.5m radius (73t at 3m). When all six sections of the boom are fully extended to 48.5m, it can lift a maximum 8.6t out to 12m and 900kg at maximum radius of 46m. Off-settable boom extensions of 9m and 16m offer a maximum hook height of 66m.
As on the 45 tonner, ZF AS Tronic transmission is again employed. Carrier engine is a Mercedes-Benz six cylinder providing 315kW at 1,800min-1, while the upper’s engine produces 125kW at 2,300min-1.
Deliveries of both the ATF 80-4 and the ATF 45-3 are expected to begin in the second half of the year.
The third launch is the biggest all-terrain yet to come out of Faun’s Lauf factory. The six-axle, 200t-rated ATF 200-6 is the product of Japanese-German collaboration, with the 60m boom coming from Tadano in Japan. It is powered by a 125kW Mercedes-Benz engine for the upper and a 448kW engine for the carrier. Faun is not releasing further details of this model until the show, the company said.
The BKF 35-4 recovery crane, featured in the December/January issue of Cranes Today, is a spin-off from a military vehicle that Faun had already developed. The type of recovery for which this crane is targeted includes pulling out coaches or buses that have run off the road into ditches or over the edge of mountain passes. For such purposes it is fitted with a 200kN Rotzler winch as standard. Other rescue equipment can be provided to suit end-user requirements.
Basic specifications of this four-axle model are that it has a maximum boom length of 22.5m, a maximum lift capacity of 35t, a 40t towing capacity and can travel at 82.5km/h.
As well as these new models, Tadano Faun’s stand will also display a 60t ATF 60-4 and a 110t ATF 100-5 from the Faun all-terrain range.
Demag Mobile Cranes
The company returns to Bauma under its former and traditional name – Demag rather than Mannesmann Dematic – with two new products in the telescopic all-terrain sector. First of these is the AC 60, which extends the city crane concept to a 60t capacity model on four axles. Demag points out that the crane has the most compact carrier in its class, which at 8.20m is less than even the three-axle Compact Truck models. (The 70t CT.3 carrier length is 8.66m, and its total length is 8.92m.) The AC 60 has a boom overhang, though, unlike the Compact Trucks, giving it an overall length of a still remarkable 9.88m. It may not look pretty, but the dimensions are undoubtedly impressive. The eight-section boom extends to 50m – 8m longer than the main boom of Liebherr’s more conventional looking LTM 1060/2. Adding a 13m extension gives a maximum tip height of 63m, “another best-in-class value,” says Demag.
With an engine rating of 295kW, the crane is fast, manoeuvrable and powerful both on site and on the road, Demag claims, and the standard all-wheel steering system with crab control gives the AC 60 the smallest turning radius of any 60-tonner on the market.
All-wheel drive is offered as an option, and a two-seat cabin (in line, rather than side by side) is also available. The two-seat cabin is designed to satisfy union requirements in certain territories.
While long distance travel is not part of the concept of city cranes, this machine will be happy on the autobahn, motorway or freeway. A single cabin is an ergonomic compromise, however, and the driver may not be able to go for as long as he or she could in a conventional cabin. Thus the option of the two-seat cab also helps here.
Three years ago Demag launched the 300t rated AC 300. Already it is time to renew it, apparently, and the Demag AC 300-1 is being launched. This model “is more than just the successor to the familiar 300-tonner from Demag Mobile Cranes. The unit has been completely redesigned from the carrier to the main boom”.
It features 12x8x10 drive and steering, and one of the four driven axles is connectable as and when required. The 448kW DaimlerChrysler OM 502 LA engine offers a maximum torque of 2,700Nm, which means that the AC 300-1 can cope with inclines up to 41% and on the flat can reach 85km/h, Demag says.
The carrier frame has been redesigned to give more strength and torsion-resistance. This means significantly improved behaviour in all load situations, and – although the final chart was not available at time of writing – a 20% to 30% improvement in the load chart.
A 205kW engine powers the upper. A maximum of five hydraulic pumps (of which one is an auxiliary unit) provide four independent circuits, enabling four independent working motions to be performed simultaneously.
The four-section main boom reaches 56m. With a luffing jib, maximum working height is 131m. A fixed jib, a boom extension and the new Sideways Superlift (SSL) attachment (as featured in the February issue, p3) are also available.
As well as these two new all-terrain models, Demag’s 2,500m2 stand will also feature, from the all-terrain series, an AC 25, AC 40-1, AC 50-1, AC 100, AC 200, and an AC 500-1 equipped with Sideways Superlift. Demag is also showing a new 300t crawler, the CC 1800-1.
Liebherr
With two huge mining machines and more than 70 other pieces of construction equipment, Liebherr’s 10,000m2 stand, manned by 600 employees, will once again be hard to miss. Among the vast array of equipment are 10 telescopic all-terrain cranes, ranging in capacity from 35t to 500t, of which three are brand new models and one is an upgrade.
Liebherr says that the new, three-axle 55t LTM 1055/1 is the strongest in its class. This has been achieved by using the high grade S 1100 QL steel and Telematik boom system that is featured in the larger LTM models. Weight has also been minimised by using aluminium and synthetic materials for both cabs, the cover panels and tanks. Originally conceived as a 50t lifter, it has come to market with the revised rating.
The LTM 1055/1 features the new ZF AS Tronic constant mesh gearbox with automatic shift, as featured in the 100t LTM 1100/2 (Shift to automatic, Sept00, p35). This combines the operating convenience of automatic transmission with the advantages of the narrow steps and wide gear ratio spread of a 12-speed manual gearbox. The system gives a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency, it is claimed.
The 40m oval section telescopic boom uses Liebherr’s Telematik telescoping system with its single-stroke ram. With 9m to 16m double folding fly jibs it can operate at working heights of up to 58m, where it can lift a maximum 3.1t, and working radii of up to 48m, where it can lift 600kg. A hydraulic erection aid for the swing-away jib can be activated by remote control. On main boom alone it can lift 10.1t at a maximum height of 41m and 1.5t at full radius of 38m.
It has a single 270kW Liebherr engine, connected to the power shift gear, eddy current brake and clutch by data bus systems. Optional extras include supporting pressure indicators, work area limitation and the LiSSy diagnostic system.
Working up the range, Liebherr’s second new AT is the 200t, five-axle LTM 1200, being shown in prototype form. It features a 60m main boom with 12.2m to 36m extensions, lifting a maximum 2.1t at a height of 100m and 1t at a maximum 84m radius. On main boom alone, it can lift 16.5t at a height of 60m and 4.3t at a maximum radius of 56m.
This model takes over from the LTM 1160/2, but offers an average 25% better chart and 15% better reach, Liebherr says.
A 400kW engine powers the carrier and the upper has a 180kW unit. New data bus systems have been added to the entire travel gear management, the crane’s sensor technology and the telescoping movements.
The overall length of 15.2m, turning circle of 11.25m and counterweight radius of 4.8m make the LTM 1200/1 “the most compact crane in its class”, according to Liebherr.
For longer reach, Liebherr is launching the six-axle, 250t LTM 1250/1 with a six-section main boom that extends to 72m, with attachments adding a further 63m of reach, at maximum. What it lifts out there has yet to be determined, however, as the chart is still being worked on. This crane features the same six-axle chassis of the 300t LTM 1300/1, giving it a 75t GVW without counterweight.
The upgrade from Liebherr is the five-axle, 150t LTM 1150/1, developed from the well-established 120t model LTM 1120/1. The key difference is that the 56m telescopic boom is now manufactured from high-tensile S 1100 QL structural steel. This, plus increasing the counterweight to 50t, has achieved an average increase in load capacity of 20%. At the largest working radii, the capacity increase is as much as 200%, Liebherr claims.
Another new feature is a 7m lattice extension to give a 91m height under the hook and a 72m working radius.
Liebherr is also showing the following established AT models: LTM 1030/2, LTM 1060/2, LTM 1080/1, LTM 1100/2, LTM 1300/1 and LTM 1500. Also being shown are various tower cranes (including the MK 80 truck-mounted tower) and two new lattice boom crawler cranes for lifting applications, plus other crane-based foundation machines.
Grove
The last time Grove exhibited at a major international show – Conexpo 99 – its sales actually fell afterwards. To be fair, that was not a reflection of the quality of the equipment on show but was down to problems implementing its new computerised management information system which affected US manufacturing and delivery capabilities. Given that the European crane operations have been flourishing in inverse proportion to the escalating difficulties at Shady Grove in the USA, there is every reason to expect that Grove – with its entire GMK all-terrain range on its 3,200m2 stand, as well as two US rough terrains and a range of access platforms – will be able to capitalise on Bauma rather better than it did on Conexpo.
New for Bauma is the four-axle 75t-rated GMK 4075, and Grove has already taken more than 40 orders since announcing it last August. First deliveries are made directly after the show. Bauma gives us the first chance to see it in iron and two units will be exhibited, one in the colours of German rental company Somner & Grotke and one in the colours of Mammoet Van Seumeren of the Netherlands. This is just one of several machines at the show in the new colours of the recently merged Dutch companies, thus Bauma offers a great opportunity for Mammoet to promote its new identity.
The GMK 4075 (designated 4090 in the USA – 90 US ton) replaces both the 4070-1 and the 4080, which both date back to 1993 under the former Krupp regime and so are long overdue for renewal.
Grove is promoting this crane as a ‘Taxi to Maxi’. As a self-contained taxi crane it can operate with the 12t-per-axle European limit with 10.1t of counterweight, bi-fold swingaway, hook block, 8x8x8 drive/steer, and 16.00 R25 tyres, and compete against smaller capacity four-axle cranes. In Maxi configuration, with 16.1t maximum counterweight, it can compete against larger four-axle machines, Grove says. The idea is to offer customers a single machine that bridges the whole 60t to 80t spectrum.
Electronically controlled single-cylinder Megaform boom technology is used, with the Twin-Lock pinning system, as seen on all Grove’s ATs since its acquisition of the German manufacturer Krupp in the mid-1990s. The GMK 4075 also has a new fully graphic electronic crane operating system (ECOS) to monitor and control all boom operations.
The five-section boom extends to 43.2m and features an optional 10m to 17m bi-fold swingaway jib with hydraulic offsets allowing it to luff from 5° to 40° with load – a feature first seen on the GMK 5180. Inserts can extend the jib to 27m, giving a maximum lift height of 72m and a maximum working radius of 54m.
Like the new Faun and Liebherr models, Grove has also gone for the new ZF fully automatic transmission. Power comes from a single Mercedes-Benz engine to deliver 315kW and a travel speed of 85km/h. Grove says that it has opted for a single engine approach to give more power at lower engine speed, and to reduce fuel consumption and noise. It also reduces overall weight, enabling a fuller specification at 12t per axle.
Bauma also offers the first chance to see the 300t-rated GMK 6300 Megalift. Megalift is Grove’s name for an A-frame back-mast attachment with cable suspension, very like competitors’ Superlift attachments, that results in lifting capacity increases of more than 20% in the 20m to 30m radius range.
Grove is giving an outing to its entire GMK range at the show, comprising the GMK 2035, 3050, 5100 and 5180 plus the two mentioned above. Grove is also shipping over from the USA a pair of E series rough terrains for their European debut: the RT 530E (30t) and the RT 760E (55t), which feature the German-style Megaform U-shaped boom rather than Grove’s traditional trapezoidal boom shape.
Compact Truck
Compact Truck is bringing to Bauma the same models that it exhibited at Intermat in Paris last year, namely the two-axle CT.2, rated at 40t, and two units of the three-axle CT.3. One of the three axle machines is rated at 70t (CT.3-70), and the other at 80t (CT.3-80). All available attachments, including forks, work platforms and a jib, will be shown.
These machines are notable for their compact dimensions. This is achieved by being hydrostatically driven and having eight-section booms to eliminate boom overhang at the front of the unit.
Compact Truck has yet to sell its 80t model to any German customers, so Bauma offers an important opportunity. Dutch rental companies Pater and Saan have taken the only two units of the CT.3-80 that have been delivered to date.
There is still no showing, however, for Compact Truck’s long-awaited four-axle model, rated at 110t. As long ago as June 1999 Compact Truck said it had taken orders for this CT.4 machine and that it was on the drawing board. At that time, it was being promised in early 2000.
Managing director Alex Lutz still insists that the 110t model is still only a few months away and he says that it will be presented “before the end of the year”.
A new variant two-axle Compact Truck model can also be seen on Terex’s stand (see below).
Terex Lifting
The last time the full scope of the Terex Lifting product range could be seen in one place was Conexpo 99 in Las Vegas. Although the European access equipment business has now been sold (or should have been – conclusion of a sale to Pinguely Haulotte was ‘imminent’ at time of writing) Bauma now gives European customers a first chance to appreciate quite how diversified Terex’s crane business has become.
Much attention is sure to be directed at the TC 500, the two-axle 40t-rated (50 US ton) all-terrain designed by Compact Truck that Terex is building at the factory in Trier, Germany of tower crane manufacturer Peiner. Full production starts in May. The TC 500 is the same crane as the CT.2-40 that can be seen on Compact Truck’s own stand. Hydrostatic drives and an eight-section 30m boom are key features. The problem that Compact Truck has faced is that its product line has been perceived as a high cost option. The question is: can Terex remove some of the cost and so offer it at a more competitive price? Under the terms of the licence Compact Truck has the right to exercise quality control on the first few units, a contract clause designed to protect its reputation.
From the French-built PPM range, Terex is showing the new generation ATT 400-3, launched last year. This all-terrain crane is rated at 35t and has a 30.4m maximum boom length. Also on show is a new three-axle all-terrain, the ATT 600-2. While Terex does well in the two- and three-axle classes, it still runs up against the opinion, particularly in Germany, that because its cranes are lower priced, the quality must be lower too. Terex Lifting chief executive Fil Filipov counters this by pointing out that PPM cranes have Mercedes-Benz engines, ZF transmissions, Rexroth hydraulic piston pumps and valves, and Kessler axles – all of which should be good enough for the most demanding German customer.
Terex will also show an Australian crane, the Franna A 10, a 10t-rated industrial yard crane for moving machinery in confined spaces or indoors. From the Bendini range, Terex will have a re-shaped A 400 rough terrain, which lifts a maximum 35t and has a 31m maximum boom length, and an A 600, rated at 60t and with a 34m boom. It will also show a crawler-mounted Bendini A 600C.
Locatelli
It is not often that Locatelli has new product to shout about, but this year the Italian company gives Bauma debuts to two new machines. Totally new is the ATC 20, a 20t-rated city crane designed for operation where space is limited. The six-section boom offers a maximum tip height of 34m. Both axles drive and steer and the machine features a 176kW Iveco engine, hydrogas suspension, hydrostatic transmission and a new safe load indicator (SLI) system. Attachments offered include a side-stored extension, aerial work platforms and forks. The chassis is 6.365m overall and boom overhang is 300mm. Height is less than 3m and width is 2.3m.
Also making its debut at Bauma is the GRIL 8125, a 12.5t capacity unit that doubles up as either a rough terrain crane or a telescopic handler. Features include continuous rotation, hydrostatic transmission, four wheel drive and steer, and a 20m boom in either three or four sections. Fly jib, aerial work platform and forks are offered as attachments.
Marchetti
New from Autogru Marchetti of Italy is the MG 20.35, which it describes as “a compact, versatile and multipurpose mobile crane… particularly suitable to work in very tight areas and indoors”. For indoor applications the machine is offered in a battery-powered version.
Marchetti is also showing the 70t-capacity, four-axle MG 70.4 all-terrain, which the company says is one of its best selling products and is proving a hit in both Italy and Scandinavia.
Ormig
Evidence that there is still demand for truck cranes in Europe can be found on Ormig’s stand where the 80t-capacity 804 AC will be shown. Ormig has mounted a six-section boom with a maximum tip height of 48m onto a commercial 8x4x4 chassis.
Advantages of this unit over all-terrain cranes include higher road travel speed, easy manoeuvrability and – in some countries, such as Italy – it is subject to an easier road permit regime because it comes in at less than 32t GVW. It is also suitable for towing, the manufacturer says.
Ormig will also be showing its 9tmE and 22tmE industrial pick and carry cranes. These are both battery powered and have lifting capacities of 9t and 22t respectively.
Sennebogen
Another telescopic crane mounted on a standard production truck is being exhibited by Sennebogen. The 630 TM was launched last year as the GT 35 but has not been exhibited at a major show before. It was developed in conjunction with Allkran Hellmich, a German dealer and rental company. Hellmich, previously a distributor for Luna, has the distribution rights for Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
On a three-axle truck it is rated at 35t; on a four-axle truck it lifts 40t. A 7.5m lattice jib and 30m main boom combine to offer a hook height of 40m. With the main boom fully extended, the 630 TM can lift 1.6t at a 26m radius. As with the larger Ormig model above, the truck-mounted crane eliminates the need for special permits associated with all-terrains and offers a lower cost option.
Rigo
Autogru Rigo is showing its 60t, three-axle RTT 603 all-terrain, alongside a new access platform.
Kato
Although Kato is working on new models for the European market, it is not yet ready to show any of these at Bauma. But visitors will be able to see two city class cranes, the 25t-capacity CR-250 and the 10t CR-100. Also on show is an 8t mini-crawler, the CR-80c, with a 2t capacity searcher hook.
