Kobelco Construction Machinery has become the latest manufacturer to market a telescopic boom crawler crane.
The 55t-rated TK 550, Kobelco’s first telescopic boom crawler, has a 3.8m tailswing radius and an operating weight of just under 50t. The four-section telescopic boom extends from 9.97m to 30.1m.
While others have marketed their tele-crawlers as niche products, for pipelaying applications, for example, or working on marshland, Kobelco says that its TK 550 is designed for general foundation work, with attachments such as vibrohammers and augers, or for supporting roles such as lifting piles and moving steel plates.
The crane is initially being marketed only in Japan, but Kobelco says that it is preparing to launch the crane overseas.
Kobelco explains its reasoning: “Work sites in Japan have been coming under increasingly heavy restrictions and it is at times difficult to find the space necessary to assemble lattice booms and extend outriggers. From a business standpoint, crane users are also under pressure to cut costs in these difficult economic times.
“The TK550 enables crane users to save on transport costs and site preparation time. Unlike lattice boom cranes, the TK550 does not have to be disassembled and erected. With a retracted crawler length of 12 meters and width of 3.2 meters, the new crane can be loaded onto a trailer for easy transportation. Crane users can therefore save on the cost and time of disassembly, transportation and erection. Without the counterweight, the TK550 weighs in at 38t.”
