We Energies, an electric and natural gas utility located in Wisconsin, knows that Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental, as a member of the ALL Erection & Crane Rental Family of Companies, offers the professional expertise that comes with owning one of North America’s largest and most modern fleets of cranes. In 2008, We Energies began construction on a new air quality control system, scheduled to be completed later this year. As a contractor, Dawes was able to provide as many as 20 cranes at one time.

Dawes’ cranes were onsite from the outset — rough-terrain cranes from 65 to 130 tons (59 to 118 t) and crawlers from 175- to 660-tons (159 to 599 t) capacities, doing everything from steel erection to placing new ductwork and chimney components. The Manitowoc 18000 crawler crane (660 tons) with an added MAX-ER was key to saving money on the project, increasing the crane’s base capacity to do the required work while reducing cost.

Originally, project engineers handling the job wanted to hire a Manitowoc 888 crawler with a RINGER attachment to set the ductwork across a bluff on the shore of Lake Michigan, where the power plant is located. Adding a ringer attachment and pedestals to a crane distributes the load over a larger area and can increase the lifting capacity dramatically. But the cost and time delay can be dramatic, too. The large ringer attachment must be transported onto the job site, and a foundation must be built to support the ringer’s pedestals.

Meeting on the We Energies site with the engineers, Dawes formulated a plan using its Manitowoc 18000 that was already on the site. By adding a MAX-ER attachment and reconfiguring the boom, the customer could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental fees alone. The MAX-ER is a cost-effective way to increase the 18000’s base capacity, eliminating the time and expense of transporting and setting up a larger crane — or, in this case, the 888 crane with a ringer, according to the manufacturer.

The engineers fortified the road along the work area to support the 18000, and everything worked as planned.

Dawes also came through when a 300-ton (272 t) Manitowoc 2250 crawler with luffing jib had to be erected on the side of a bluff between two groups of major power lines coming into the facility. The crane had to be built down below the bluff and brought up the hill separately from the boom so as to avoid the power lines. The luffing jib was then pinned to the boom from an adjacent parking area. Expert logistics and safety planning ensured a success.

All in all, Dawes crane experts were able to save We Energies nearly $1 million in crane rental fees, according to the company.

For more information, call 800/236-5335 or visit www.dawescrane.com.

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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