When it comes to new developments in all terrain cranes, the big driving force for manufacturers is maximising their customers’ return on investment. Increasing lifting capacities and boom lengths or improving safety all contribute to greater efficiency and therefore a better return.

"When we’re developing new cranes we always look at how we can increase the return on investment for customers," says Andreas Cremer, Manitowoc’s global product director for all terrain cranes. "It can just be by offering more capacity within the same package but we also focus a lot on easy transport, easy rigging and short rigging times."

Technical innovations are also helping manufacturers save weight which can be used to increase load charts or include a longer boom.

"If you have 10% better charts you can probably do 10% more jobs with the machine," says Cremer.

Customer feedback is also what motivates developments at Link-Belt.

"The voice of the customer is what drives us; it’s a powerful tool," says Rick Curnette, production manager of telescopic truck and all terrain cranes. "They want to reach further, lift higher and transport as efficiently as possible."

These were all factors in Tadano’s development of the 600t ATF 6000-8 with the new triple boom which will be launched at Bauma. Tadano says it is the only crane in its class that does not require a boom guying system; instead two unpowered booms support the round main boom. This reduces both the space needed to operate the crane and transport and setup costs.

The company says the absence of a boom suspension system could potentially save users €3,000 per job, or €1.8m in transport and set-up costs over the first 15 years of use.

The triple boom is Tadano’s response to customers’ requests for more capacity from existing machinery and for operational simplicity.

Its development, says Tadano, has taken four years, first testing the concept and then finding a way to produce the new shape.

"In general it’s a crane like others but the shape is new," the company says. "We had to find a way to produce a steel pipe that is round with a required material strength. You can’t buy such hollow sections from steelworks so we had to find a process to produce these pipes."

In designing the triple boom Tadano looked at all the processes involved in using a crane, from planning through to demobilising. "A triple boom system reduces to a main boom, a luffing fly jib and a fixture and it’s very easy to know if you have to work with these, so planning becomes a lot easier," says Tadano.

"Moving it to the site everything is in the boom so you don’t need to bring any auxiliary equipment." The system also addresses the difficulties of having to rig in the dark, or the associated costs of rigging the day before.

The crane is also equipped with all-ways steering so the weight is spread across all axles. "There may be conditions on site where you have to raise an axle so the remaining axles have to carry all the upper. This is a big reduction because, say each axle could carry 28t and you have to raise one axle you’re reducing it by 28t, plus the 15t in comparison to the triple boom system," says Tadano.

Customers’ return on investment was at the forefront of Terex’s thinking when it introduced its Explorer and Challenger machines. The five-axle Explorer family includes the 130-tonne Explorer 5500, the 160t 5600 and the 220t 5800, while the Challenger range comprises the 55t 3160 and the 60t 3180. The three-axle Challengers each have a 50m boom length, the longest in class, says Michael Klein, Terex’s product marketing manager all terrain cranes, which enables customers to use them in typically larger crane applications.

"Also there’s no need to rig a jib so it’s safer and faster, and therefore more economical for customers," he says.

Terex has developed the cranes, he added, "with total cost of ownership in mind from day one".

"We’ve developed features that help our customers reduce operational or transport costs, and we’ve also implemented features that help our customers make more profit," says Klein.

These features include the single engine concept which, together with an intelligent model management system and Terex’s stop/ start function, has helped customers to reduce fuel consumption.

"It has also had a positive effect on the lifetime of the crane because the stop/start function reduces the idling time of the crane. If you have fewer hours on the engine you have a higher resell value," says Klein.

Terex also recently launched its IC-1 Plus control system – an enhanced version of its IC1 – which increases the crane’s versatility. IC-1 Plus features real-time calculations in the cab, meaning the lifting capacity for a defined radius is no longer limited to the minimum value of a pre-calculated 360° lifting capacity. This enables the crane to perform jobs where typically a higher capacity machine would be required.

"It provides the live calcula- tion of the capacities in the crane so it’s no longer a precalculated load chart. This allows customers to lift more in the outriggers, for example, so they can perform the jobs of larger cranes, or they can do the same job with less counterweight, saving money on counterweight transport to the jobsite and back," says Klein.

IC-1 Plus also features automatic counterweight detection so the crane knows how much counterweight is installed and the operator just needs to confirm it. Another important requirement is that customers are able to adhere to weight restrictions on the road.

"We have an axle load display so the crane driver can see how much load he has on each axle," says Klein. "We also have a payload left in every axle configuration so our customers can take tackles or whatever they need with the crane and still be legal on the road."

Once at the jobsite, Terex cranes also have a quick set-up time, says Klein.

"We’ve introduced features to help our customers be ready for work quickly, such as automatic rigging systems, automatic levelling systems and storage boxes where they can put hooks and tackles within easy reach," he says.

Liebherr launches a new model every year. In 2015 it was the turn of the 250t capacity LTM 1250- 5.1 – the successor to the LTM 1220-5.2 – which was launched at Intermat in April, and the 50t capacity LTC 1050-3.1, a compact mobile crane which succeeds the LTC 1045-3.1, was launched at the company’s customer days at its plant in Ehingen in June.

Through the partial use of a stronger, fine-grain structural steel and improvements in the boom telescopes, Liebherr has boosted the load capacity without increasing the dimensions.

The LTM 1250-5.1, which has 15-20% more capacity than its predecessor, is "the most powerful mobile crane on five axles on the market", says Wolfgang Beringer, head of sales promotion at Liebherr.

With lattice extensions the maximum hook height has been increased by 9m to 110m. It is the third crane model on which Liebherr uses its singleengine concept. In addition, it has a multi-functional folding jib, with a 50m fixed jib also available, and VarioBallast – a new feature from Liebherr. It allows the LTM 1250-5.1 to be operated with two ballast radii: 5.58m or 4.78m. It can be adjusted quickly and easily using standard mechanically swivelling ballasting cylinders.

"This is a major benefit in constricted conditions," says Beringer. Improving safety is also an important factor in crane development and Liebherr’s answer to this is VarioBase. "This variable supporting system is a huge benefit in terms of safety and also in increasing lifting capacity," says Beringer.

VarioBase, which is offered on nearly all of Liebherr’s 20 all terrain models, allows each crane support to be positioned and extended individually.

Last year Manitowoc introduced three new five-axle Grove all terrain cranes – the 250t GMK5250L, which the company also describes as the "most powerful and versatile five-axle crane on the market", and then the 180t GMK5180-1 and 200t GMK5200-1.

One motivation for the new launches was the need to meet the US EPA’s Tier 4 and the European EUROMOT 4 emissions regulations and this provided the opportunity to develop new specifications for other aspects.

"The most difficult regulation changes are the emission reports," says Cremer. "That’s driving a lot of innovation because it’s not easy to keep the balance of weight within the limits that you’re allowed to participate in the market." All of the three new machines are single engine concepts and much-reduced fuel consumption. "In the driving mode we reduced the fuel consumption tremendously from stage 3B to stage 4 so we’re saving about 30% in diesel when driving," says Cremer. "For the superstructure functions we also developed a fuel saver concept – an auxiliary power unit that reduces fuel consumption as well as maintenance."

Another new feature on the cranes is the drive line set-up. They feature Mercedes engines and, in a first for the industry, Mercedes’ VIAB turbo retarder clutch.

This transmission eliminates both fluid overheating and clutch burning and enables wear-free starting and braking.

"It’s a very powerful drive line," says Cremer. "It allows the crane to have wear-free braking and acceleration and to manoeuvre very precisely and avoids the problems you have with normal shift transmission where people sometimes burn clutches when they’re running offroad."

The three new cranes have the same counterweight so customers working across several areas can share the counterweight between the machines, including the GMK6300L as well. Some of the new features will become standard on Manitowoc cranes, depending on the size of the machine.

"On bigger machines the drive line is important because you’re moving heavier machines with more counterweight. On smaller machines we’re probably not going to use the VIAB module but the single engine concept and fuel saver will be available on future developments," says Cremer. Customers’ response to the new models has been positive and Manitowoc started shipping the first units towards the end of last year.

"The overall package of a very compact machine with a relatively long boom and a 250t capacity rating is very well appreciated in the market – and needed – so we have a lot of requests for the machine," says Cremer.

"When we introduced the 5220 in 2007 that was a benchmark but over time our competitors got close, or even passed the 5220. With the 5250L we are now setting a new benchmark in this class."

In a wider development Manitowoc introduced a new control system that is shared across all its products so all the control functions are uniform.

"It doesn’t matter whether you’re sitting in a crawler crane manufactured in Wisconsin or an all terrain crane from our factory in Germany, the control system will be the same," says Cremer.

Increasing capacity without increasing the size of the crane is another motivation for developments. "Over the past few years we’ve always increased the capacity class within one segment," says Cremer. "Fifteen years ago fiveaxle cranes were 180t, now we’ve reached 250t capacity on a fixeaxle. It’s the same on the six-axle where we have a 400t machine which used to be a seven-axle, and the 6400 is doing jobs of the bigger eight-axle machines because it’s compact, gets into tighter jobsites and still has great capacity."

Two main focuses for Link-Belt have been reducing overflows and the associated transport and personnel costs, and increasing operator comfort and, therefore, overall safety.

"We’ve focused on access to and egress from the machine with platforms and guardrails," says Rick Curnette. "We also have a full complement of cameras to view behind and to view down the machine when turning a corner or merging into a lane and to view the winches as they’re peeling off the drums. They let the driver focus on what they need to, which is outside the front windshield. We’re trying to eliminate distractions." Lighting is also a key feature of Link-Belt’s cranes.

"Most cranes are dispatched early in the morning when it’s dark so operators asked us to light up the fuel compartment so they can see when they’re putting fuel in," says Curnette. "We’ve also put lights in the storage compartment and on panels, and we’ve included remote control boom lights to light up the jobsite so they don’t have to bring in auxiliary lighting."

Following the initial fallout of the financial crisis of 2008, the market for all terrain cranes has been challenging but over the past few years stability has settled again.

"In general the crane market has been tough but we’ve done well for tough market conditions," says Curnette.

Liebherr reports that 2015 was more stable than 2014 and the busiest markets were central Europe and North America. "All models sold well but the highest numbers we sold were in the 3-5 axle class," says Beringer.

Manitowoc’s Cremer agrees that the market has stabilised in recent years but forecasting has become harder, and made even more difficult by the fall in the oil price and geopolitical issues. "Oil and commodities are big factors but there are also local factors like the crisis in the Middle East and Russia and Ukraine," he says.

In terms of geographical markets, demand in Russia and Brazil has slowed but in other markets, such as the UK, it is rising. The oil and mining industries were slowing, but housing infrastructure is a growth area, he added.

Whatever the market conditions, or perhaps because of them, customers’ return on investment will continue to drive innovation. Manitowoc has developed a synthetic rope which is already being sold in North America and is being tested for approval in Europe.

"Synthetic rope offers easier handling for the operator and it saves weight so it reduces the weight of the crane and gives better roadability," says Cremer. "In North America we have 50 states and each has different road regulations so we want to take weight out of the machine."

Tighter emissions regulations are also driving technology and Cremer predicts that over the next few years across the industry there will be "multiple cranes" introduced in response to repower. Link-Belt launched its most popular all terrain crane, the ATC- 3210, at Conexpo 2013 and, while Curnette would not be drawn on Link-Belt’s plans for new models, he did hint there’s more to come. "We are never finished. Stay tuned for Conexpo 2017," he says.