Construction Equipment Guide
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Thu December 12, 2013 - National Edition
There will be eight new cranes among the dozen or so planned to appear on the Manitowoc booth at ConExpo 2014.
Manitowoc will occupy its familiar position in the Gold Lot (stand number 2137), but this year has extended its space to 37,800 sq. ft to make room for the array of large machines it will present. Visitors will be able to explore a host of cranes from across the company’s Grove, Manitowoc, National Crane and Potain brands.
Larry Weyers, executive vice president of Manitowoc in The Americas, said next year’s ConExpo will be extra special for the company.
“As a company we’re always really excited to participate in ConExpo, but this next one is going to be especially memorable for us,” he said. “We’re taking a bigger booth than last time and bringing more cranes. But for us the equipment is just part of it. ConExpo is our opportunity to show the industry our total commitment to our customers, from supplying the best cranes through to supporting those cranes over their working lives, and then on to helping with their next purchases. Many of our customers have been buying our cranes for decades and we’re proud of the strong relationships we have with them.”
Crawler Cranes
Aside from the giant new crawler cranes at the show, there will be a third Manitowoc crawler crane, the 182 ton (165 t) capacity MLC165, which launched at bauma 2013 in Germany earlier this year.
Mobile Cranes
From the Grove brand of mobile cranes there will be four cranes, including two that are making their North American debut. The RT770E and RT540 are new from Grove’s rough-terrain crane range. The 70 ton (65 t) RT770E offers boom reach of 138 ft. (42 m). The RT540, meanwhile, is an updated version of the RT540E. It has the same 40 ton (35 t) capacity and 102 ft. (31 m) boom, but features the updated CCS operating system that was introduced earlier this year and will be rolled out across Manitowoc’s entire brand platform.
From the GMK all-terrain crane range the company will show two of the most popular units of recent times, the GMK6300L and GMK6400, two six-axle units with capacities of 350 ton (300 t) and 450 ton (400 t) respectively. The GMK6300L offers a huge 262 ft. (80 m) main boom, while the GMK6400 offers unparalleled lifting ability combined with a series of award-winning innovations, according to the manufacturer.
Other mobile cranes at Manitowoc’s ConExpo booth will be two new boom trucks from National Crane, including the NBT60, the largest ever built by the company. This 60 ton (54.4 t) capacity crane features a 128 ft. (39 m) boom, the longest in its class. Even with the larger size of the NBT60, the crane will still be roadable without the need for additional permits in most parts of North America.
There will be one unit from the NBT15 series, which actually comprises three individual models from 10 ton (9.1 t) to 18 ton (16.3 t) capacity. The three cranes, NBT 14, NBT15 and NBT16, offer a load of new technologies and some of the longest boom lengths and highest capacities for boom trucks in their class.
Rounding out the mobile crane contingent on Manitowoc’s booth is the CD5520 industrial crane, the largest in the range. The crane, from the Shuttlelift brand, offers a 20 ton (18 t) maximum capacity and a 54 ft. 6 in. (16.6 m) main boom. The crane’s design is totally new and will act as a template for future models from both the Shuttlelift and YardBoss brands.
Tower Cranes
The Potain brand of tower cranes will be represented with a new luffing jib tower crane plus the world’s largest self-erecting crane. The MR 418 luffing jib crane is the first in a new line from the company. It’s ideal for working on power stations or super tall buildings, and can be fitted with the giant 270 hp (201 kW) 320 LVF 120 hoist.
The Igo T 130 self-erecting crane, meanwhile, has a 164 ft. (50 m) jib which gives it huge coverage of small and medium sized job sites. It also can vary its working height, depending on project requirements.
In addition to cranes, there will be a strong showing from the customer support division, Manitowoc Crane Care. Information on training, parts, service and support will be available, as well as details on the global network of EnCORE refurbishment centers, which is continuing to expand worldwide.
Those wanting details on crane financing also will find information on the company’s stand, available through Manitowoc Finance.
For more information, visit www.manitowoc.com.