Highway project for MLC300

Lunda Construction in the USA used a new Manitowoc MLC300 crawler crane with Variable Position Counterweight for a highway project in Milwaukee.

The new crawler is being used on a US$1.7 billion reconstruction of a highway at the Zoo Interchange. It is being used to lift and set large tub girders that will support a ramp from Highway 45/I-894 northbound to I-94 westbound. The heaviest girders weigh 62 tonnes.

The MLC300 has the Variable Position Counterweight (VPC) system and was configured with 47.8 metres of main boom and 172 tonnes of counterweight. The counterweight system automatically positions the crane’s counterweight to maintain a centre of gravity closer to the centre of rotation, the manufacturer said. The system reduces ground bearing pressure and means the crane needs less counterweight to complete a lift.

The crawler was rented from Wisconsin-based Dawes Rigging & Crane rental, a member of the All Family of Companies. Joe Ruddell, Dawes Milwaukee rental sales manager, said, “As with any job for the Department of Transportation, there are going to be restrictions, specific time frames in which we can work and guidelines that have to be followed. One big challenge is the limited space we have to situate the crane in, along with having to move the crane from one location to another in a limited amount of time over uneven ground conditions.

“The MLC300 offers a smaller footprint than other crawler cranes and its VPC counterweight system is perfect for this job. The reduced footprint and added stability really matter when the crane is sitting on limited real estate between eastbound and westbound lanes of the freeway with traffic whizzing by,” Ruddell explained.

The Zoo Interchange project began in 2013 and is scheduled for completion in 2018.