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| Manitowoc adds new mobile crane type to Grove product line  Manitowoc is launching a Grove mobile crane, the GCK3045, which will open up new jobs for customers in a wide range of city center and indoor industrial projects. The crane is the first from Manitowoc's Grove brand that is ideally suited for work in congested urban areas. These cranes are often referred to as city cranes. It was designed with a focus on maximizing possible applications for greater utilization. Neil Hollingshead, Manitowoc's global product manager for all-terrain cranes and rough-terrain cranes, said the company is using Intermat 2009 in Paris, France to roll out the new crane in Europe."We are very excited to launch this crane, which has been developed in partnership with Kobelco Cranes," he said. "Our partner has solid experience with city cranes and with our technical and marketing expertise and unsurpassed product support through Manitowoc Crane Care, we anticipate the GCK3045 to generate a lot of interest among rental company owners. Its compactness and maneuverability make it the perfect fit for many urban job sites located in congested areas or narrow spaces." The crane is a compact three-axle, single cab unit with a 'boom down' design. It has a 45 t capacity with a 34 m boom and an optional 6.3 m/10.2 m 'twist' jib. As the name suggests, the twist jib attaches through a simple elevation of the boom and then a twist of the jib by the operator before bolting into position. The entire operation is a one-person job, minimizing set-up time on site. It can also be done without the need to set-up outside the crane's width of 2.55 m, meaning full boom and jib can be rigged in a very small area. Dimensions are crucial for city cranes, and the GCK3045 offers some excellent attributes. It has a 9.07 m length and 3 m height, in addition to its 2.55 m width (which is narrow enough to allow it to pass through narrow factory entrances). Also for working in narrow locations, the crane has a choice of five outrigger positions. Furthermore, there is an ability to operate with odd outrigger settings (where outriggers can extend to different lengths on either side of the crane). Neil Hollingshead said the crane offers many benefits to operators. "The GCK3045 has many features that will appeal to operators including a 34 m full power boom which is the longest in its class," he said. "The crane is extremely compact and maneuverable, and the addition of features such as asymmetrical outrigger settings and the twist jib, are a real advantage in extremely tight site conditions. The cab has excellent ergonomics with a highly intuitive graphic LMI display as well as hoist and rear cameras which transmit to a display on the dashboard for better working conditions and less operator fatigue." Power for the crane comes from a six cylinder 330 kW diesel engine, and maximum travel speed is 80 km/h. The hoist has 160 m of 16 mm rope and a single line pull of 44.4 kN. No additional counterweight is required as the GCK3045 is able to travel with its full complement within 12 t per axle. The hook block for the crane stows automatically for easier preparation ahead of travel. And once moving, travel is smooth with the lower works' power steering with electronic rear wheel steer. This offers a smart function where the third axle detects the first axle's steering angle and is adjusted according to the speed of travel so tire wear is minimized. For off-road maneuvering there are crab and cramp steering modes for maximum flexibility. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |