30
ACT
OCTOBER2014
PRODUCT FOCUS
SELF-ERECTING TOWERCRANES
tower cranes, LiebherrAmerica, Inc. “For
the crane assembly crew,we improved
the erectingprocess so that theywill save
timewith lessphysical effort, and for the
craneoperator,we featured the cranewith
Micomove,whichallows them tomove
loads veryprecisely, toavoiddemolition to
the surrounding equipment.”
Boochmaintains that themobilityof
these cranes can save customers a lot of
time andmoneyand that newer self-
erectorshave all the same state-of-the-art
safety features asother tower cranes.
“Theyare easy to transportwhichmakes
themvery flexible in space-restricted
areas. They’re simple toassemble, you
don’t needan extramobile crane for
erectingandonepersonalone can
assemble the crane,” saidBooch.
Thenewest crane in theManitowoc
Potain fleet is also their largest andmade
itsdebut atConExpo2014 inLasVegas.
The IgoT130offers avariableheight
latticemast and jibwithalmost 9 tonsof
lifting capacity, amaximum radiusof 164
feet,maximum tip capacityof 1.5 tons and
ahookheight of 122.4 feet. It’sdesigned
to takeover for thePotainHDT80unit
whichhas served theNorthAmerican
market for some time. The IgoT130
offers a rangeofworkingheights andan
improvedoperating system.
Potainalso features a lineupof smaller
Igo self-erectors that range from1.4 tons
to4.4 tons and two2-ton IgoM self-
erectors that are transportedballasted ina
single trailer train.
“NorthAmerica is still learning the
benefitsof self-erecting tower cranes,”
saidSmitkaofManitowoc. “Today the
market isprimarily residential building.
Tomorrow it could expand tomore
areaswheremobilehydraulic cranes are
traditionallyused.”
Arizona-basedCompassEquipment
rentsManitiowocPotainmodelsof
varying sizes, including theirnewest
model, the Igo130.
KellyHadland, ownerofCompass
Equipment, sees efficiency risingas the
self-erectormarketmoves in the right
direction.According toHadland, two self-
erectors canbeused for the sameprice, or
even less, thananormal tower crane, and
twohooks covering the sameproject add
a significant productivityadvantageover
one.
“Self-erecting tower craneshavebeen
growing inpopularityover the last 10
years andare really takingoffmore and
more eachyear,” saidKelly. “I believe it is
still anichemarket, but that is changing
as theproduct becomesmorewidelyused
and recognized.”
ThenewlymintedBigfootCrane
Company (formerlyEagleWest) is
pushingan Italianbrandon theNorth
Americanmarket.
“Themost amazingmachines thatwe are
selling right noware theSanMarcobrand
out of Italy,” saidBurton. “TheSanMarco
lineof cranes arehydraulicunfolding
with jib lengthsup to138 feet. The added
benefit is that once the towerunfolds it
also telescopesupwards anadditional 15
feet, giving it thehighest hookheight of
that typeof crane in themarket.”
An Italian presence
SanMarco International is located in
Borgomanero, Italyandhasbeen in crane
production since1962. Their self-erectors
range from the1.5-tonSMH160 to the
5-tonSMH422.
Terex entered the self-erecting crane
market in the latenineties.According to
AngeloCosmo, productmanager, Terex
tower cranedivision, self-erectorshaven’t
quite caught on inNorthAmericadue to
different construction systems as far as
residential buildings go.
“Plasterboardandwoodaremainlyused
asmaterial tobuildahouse in theU.S.
while inEurope it is very common touse
concete,” saidCosmo.
Terex features a lineupof six self-erectors
ranging in capacity from1.76 to4.4
tons. TheCBR32PLUS isoneof their
4.4-ton craneswitha1.1-ton capacityat
max lengthanda105-footmaximum jib
length.
It’ll take somedoing, butCosmobelieves
themarketwill continue to improve.
“The self-erectingmarket isnot ramping.
Weneed tokeeppromoting self-erecting
tower cranes. The resultwill not be
immediate, but in the long-termwe think
we cangainmomentum,”he said.
It’sdifficult to imaginewhen theNorth
American self-erecting tower cranemarket
will catchup to theEuropeanmarket,
but clearlyprogress isbeingmade. The
versatilityand efficiencyof thesemachines
continues toprove they’re a cost-effective
solution. If space is limitedand time isof
the essence, a self-erector couldverywell
be the solution.
■
Three of Compass Equipment’s craneswork
at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ.
The Liebherr 70 Kwill be a cornerstone
of Bigfoot Crane Company’s lineup of self-
erecting tower cranes.
A Liebherr 65 K self-erecting tower crane
works over a street in Vienna, Austria.
