Capital Equipment News November 2015

LIFTING

BABCOCK ACQUIRES latest Tadano ATF400G-6 all-terrain crane

B abcock’s plant services business can be regarded as the largest empow- ered crane and plant services pro- vider in Southern Africa today. Its Level 4 Broad- Based Black Economic Empowered (BBBEE) rating places them in the forefront of contention for any major infrastructure project development that requires its me- chanical construction plant hire. With a combined inventory of more than 40 000 items of plant for hire-from mobile cranes to welding and construction plant Babcock caters for the energy, process, marine, pet- rochemical and mining industries in South- ern Africa. The recent acquisition of a new Tadano AT- F400G-6, 400 ton, All-Terrain Crane has further extended the capabilities of Babcock and has enabled it to increase its level of service to a broader sector of industry. “With the acquisition of this 400 t crane, the big- gest Tadano unit in our fleet, we have beefed up our heavy rigging capacity to meet most of the demands of any infrastructure devel- opment, we can be called upon to quote,” explained Ian Kendrick, Managing Director, Plant Services. The ATF400-6 crane has been allocated to the Richards Bay branch, from where it will be operating at Richards Bay Minerals on a three year contract. The branch in Rich- ards Bay was established to cater for the proposed industrial expansion in the area. Richards Bay Coal Terminal and Mondi, in particular, will be high demand areas. Be- fore the ATF400-6 was placed in operation, a heavy rigging crew, of 12 personnel with an average of 20 years experience, received training at Tadano as they will be in constant attendance wherever the crane operates. The Tadano ATF400-6 All Terrain Crane boasts a spacious two man panoramic car- rier cab of composite structure with, tinted glass and air-cushioned adjustable seats. The ergonomic design of the cab ensures the driver has complete control of the ve- hicle for road travel at all times with all the basic functions at his fingertips. On the road, the six-axle vehicle is highly manoeuvrable with all six axles steerable and four driven. The driven axles incorpo- rate transverse differential locks. Power for the ATF400-6 carrier is provided by a Mercedes-Benz OM 502 LA 8-cylinder die-

sel engine rated at 480 kW @ 1 800 rpm and 3 000 Nm of torque @ 1 300 rpm. The ZF-TC-Tronic HD transmission with torque convertor and integrated intarder, electro pneumatically operated dry-type clutch and automatic gear-shifting incorporates 12 for- ward and two reverse gears. The superstructure frame of the ATF400-6 is a torsion resistant, all welded structure of high strength steel. It is connected to the carrier by a triple roller bearing, slewing ring with external gearing for 360 degree contin- uous rotation. A full central lubricating sys- tem is fitted as standard. The slewing sys- tem consists of an axial piston motor with three-stage planetary gear with automatic service and parking brake. The telescopic boom extends to a full length of 60 m making it the highest capacity in its class and with the additional 'Power Sys- tem', allows the crane to increase its lifting capacity. The boom consists of five sections, made of high tensile, fine grained steel con- sisting of 1 base section and 4 telescoping sections extended by means of a single tele- scopic cylinder. The Hydraulic Telescoping Luffing Jib (HTLJ), when fitted on top of the main telescopic boom, gives the crane an additional 36 m and allows it to operate in narrow areas. Major feature of the ATF400-6 is the 138 ton counterweight combination that is infinitely divisible depending on the application. The

counterweight can be assembled and dis- assembled by hydraulic cylinders operated by remote control. This feature ensures a minimum site establishment time before the crane commences operation. One of the safety features incorporated into the design of the ATF400-6 is the Lift Adjuster function, which completely pre- vents the load from swaying. Operated by the driver at the touch of a button, the Lift Adjuster is particularly advantageous when having to pick up non visible loads or loads at height. The operator can concentrate on the load and the load environment, includ- ing all the workers around the load because the crane radius is automatically maintained without having to keep an eye on the crane instruments. The result is a sway free load pickup, thus ensuring the safety of the load and personnel in the vicinity. Owing to its comparatively high load capac- ity, the ATF400-6 rarely operates at its limit compared to competitors' cranes. This is not only an advantage for the safe handling of the material but also reduces operating er- rors from the operator's cab. With its ever increasing fleet of highly spe- cialised cranes and, being the only plant services company in South Africa with full ISO accreditation, Babcock is well geared to enter into any partnership on any major project in Southern Africa. b

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