Schares uses Demag to erect tower crane

German crane service provider Autokrane Schares (Schares) used a Demag AC 160-5 all terrain crane to erect a tower crane on a job site with limited space in Bonn, Germany.

The crane’s compact design enabled it to operate in a very narrow access road and lift the loads without requiring any roads to be closed. “A vehicle width of only 2.75 metres, combined with extraordinary maneuverability, made the Demag AC 160-5 the ideal choice for the project,” explained Schares sales manager Eric Reichmann, who planned this job. The crane had to be reversed into the narrow access road. From there it erected the tower crane inside an adjoining courtyard.

The Demag’s IC-1 Plus control system also proved key, claimed the crane’s manufacturer, Terex. The control system is designed to provide the crane’s maximum allowable lifting capacity, based on the slewing angle, for every crane configuration. In this instance, the crane was set up with a partial counterweight of 32.6 tonnes and supported asymmetrically by three outriggers extended to different lengths: the rear outriggers were extended all the way to 7.50 metres (100 percent); the front left one to 5.30 metres (50 percent); and the front right one to 2.52 metres (0 percent), which was as far as they could go given the space available.

In this configuration, the crane was able to lift loads weighing up to 9 tonnes from lowbed trailers placed right in front of the crane inside the access road, with radii of 9 to 29 metres and a maximum hook height of approximately 40 metres. For this purpose, the Demag AC 160-5 crane was set up with a boom length of 49.3 metres and three-part reeving. “Of course, we could have also done the job from farther away with our larger AC 350-6 and a luffing jib. However, that would have entailed significantly higher costs, and would have also required a full road closure and the corresponding permits,” Reichmann reported.

Schares also utilised Terex’s Lift Plan online planning tool as part of its comprehensive preparation procedures. “It allowed us to determine, in advance, that the crane is able and allowed to work according to EN 130000,” Reichmann said.

As a result of the careful planning and the capabilities of the Demag, the job was successfully completed in less than one-and-a-half days.

“The AC 160-5 is a wonderful crane with an extremely wide range of applications,” concluded Reichmann. “Its dimensions enable it to work as a 100-tonne unit without a problem, and its long boom enables it to keep up with the 160-tonne class as well. Together with the IC-1 Plus, this makes the crane an extremely profitable machine.”