Capital Equipment News July 2018

load and be on the ground to continue the job when the load is to be placed. Also, self-erecting cranes don’t damage the ground as they remain in one place, meaning less to do after the crane has finished the job. Maier says with fast-erecting cranes, it is possible to easily place multiple cranes on the building site and increase the handling capacity (amount of hooks on the site). At the same time, you can either use multiple fast-erecting cranes or top slewing cranes combined with self-erecting cranes because tower cranes require little space on the building site. “Liebherr K cranes can also be set up with different hook heights, and the cranes can also slew over each other. In case of fast-erecting cranes, the crane driver equipped with radio remote control also works as a slinger, which increases productivity. With the progress of the project, a fast-erecting crane is also quickly and easily repositioned on a building site so that the crane always works in the best position, thereby significantly improving productivity,” he says “With fast-erecting cranes on crawler (Liebherr 42 KR.1), which are ideal for

Terex's self-erecting cranes are designed for small projects.

these cranes can also operate with a folded or luffed jib configuration. Maier reasons that, furthermore a driver is also needed for the mobile crane or telehandler, and an extra rigger for the load is required. With a fast-erecting crane, the crane operator is also the rigger. On top of that, precise crane movements also protect the material because there is less damage, for example, in case of precast concrete elements. Zaffiro says technologies have been developed to make sure the space used for the erection and while operating is kept to a minimum. As a result, the cranes are getting very close to the buildings while operating and with the small footprint they are ideal for constrained jobsites. “For example, our Hup 32-27 crane, one of the biggest models, uses only 4 m x 4 m on the ground while operating up to a 4-t capacity at 40 m high! Another valuable space-saving feature of our self-erecting crane is the unit’s transport dimensions. To use the Hup 32-27 as an example, when folded, it can fit inside a container,” says Zaffiro. Improved productivity and short project durations Having a self-erecting crane, as compared to a forklift or any other piece of mobile equipment, is much more productive, says Zaffiro. This is because the jib distributes the loads all over the jobsite without disturbing the activity of the site. “With a 32 m jib, you cover more than a 60 m diameter area on the jobsite, and this from one single point – not to mention with only one operator,” he says. With the remote control, the operator can direct the

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