Capital Equipment News July 2018

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used for smaller construction projects and easily moved between sites on conventional transport. “The crane can self-assemble with the push of a button and due to this design, there is no need for additional assembly cranes or equipment. The assembly is performed by hydraulic cylinders and ropes, reducing establishment time to a minimum,” says Terry, adding that this is in stark contract with conventional top slewing tower cranes which require higher transport costs, longer erection time as well as the assistance of mobile cranes. Jean Pierre Zaffiro, Global Product Director: Self-Erecting Cranes at Manitowoc Cranes, says a self-erecting crane is a “one-package” tower crane. He reasons that in terms of applications, self-erecting tower cranes don’t offer the same scope or dimensions as regular tower cranes. The biggest self-erecting crane has a 50 m jib and 8 t capacity, he says. Therefore, these cranes are suitable for customers that require simple and cost-effective logistics. “With self-erecting cranes, there is no need to prepare the ground as you do with concrete for top slewing cranes. You just need to install, erect, complete the work, fold away and off you go again,” says Zaffiro. “They are primarily used for small to medium sized jobsites and can stay on the same job for weeks on end. For housing construction needs, the self-erecting crane concept is particularly well-adapted to combine productivity and easy-to-use potential; it can be used for moving site materials, concrete pouring, roofing applications, either on its own or to complement forklift usage, for example.” Clemens Maier, Product Manager, Fast Erecting Cranes at Liebherr, says compared with a conventional top slewing crane, the biggest advantage of a fast- erecting tower crane is the easier and faster installation of the crane. Moreover, the transport is cheaper because less trucks are needed. Depending on the size, a fast-erecting crane is ideally used on projects from one-week up to one-year duration. Conventional tower cranes are mainly controlled out of the cab. Fast-erecting cranes are usually operated by a radio remote control. But in principle, tower cranes can also be operated with remote control and fast-erecting cranes can also be equipped with a cab. “Compared with a conventional tower crane, the fast-erecting tower

As recent buildings have been getting higher and larger, vertical lift planning and operation are key factors to successful project completion

Technologies have been developed to make sure the space used for the erection and operation of a self-erecting crane is kept to a minimum

Controlling the crane erection and dismantling with a remote control results in high levels of safety

Self-erecting tower cranes have proven their worth on sites with their ability to be rigged more quickly and safely than their conventional counterparts, even in tight spaces

“Using the jib assembly in the air, fast-erecting cranes can be also mounted and dismounted in tight space conditions. With a top-slewing crane, generally additional space is required for the mobile crane and a lot of space must be taken into account for the pre-assembly of the jib and counter-jib.”

Clemens Maier, product manager, Fast Erecting Cranes at Liebherr

“The crane can self-assemble with the push of a button and due to this design, there is no need for additional assembly cranes or equipment. The assembly is performed by hydraulic cylinders and ropes, reducing establishment time to a minimum.”

Jared Terry, Tower Crane manager at MMS Cranes

“With self-erecting cranes, there is no need to prepare the ground as you do with concrete for top slewing cranes. You just need to install, erect, complete the work, fold away and off you go again.”

Jean Pierre Zaffiro, global product director: Self-Erecting Cranes at Manitowoc Cranes

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JULY 2018 7