London Tower Crane climbs
12 May 2008
UK and Ireland tower crane distributor London Tower Crane Hire & Sales Ltd has erected three self climbing Jin Long Yongmao STT293 tower cranes on the Marsh Wall project in east London.
The job in Canary Wharf was for CPL Developments, a major international developer involved in several projects in the city. Instead of their maximum 74 m jib, two of the cranes have 30 m jibs and the other is 35 m. Lifting capacity is 18 tonnes to 18.5 m radius and 10.35 tonnes at jib-end.
Distributor Jin Long Europe took the supervising erectors and Martin Harvey from London Tower Crane to the Yongmao factory in Fushun, China. They were trained in the correct procedure for using the climbing system in preparation for the Canary Wharf contract. They said that they were impressed with the system and the strength of the equipment and that they have since climbed all three cranes, to near their maximum freestanding height, without problems.
The first collar tie on the Marsh Wall project was connected in mid-February and a sequence of climbing is in place for the majority of 2008. The cranes will be climbed to a maximum height of 168 m, making them the tallest cranes in Northern Europe by the end of the year, according to Sean O’Sullivan, Jin Long Europe general manager.
Paul Ryder, in-house design engineer at London Tower Crane, said, “The advantages of the modular characteristics Jin Long Europe is offering made a difficult task easier.• Ryder calculated the complicated positioning and diameter of the three cranes on a 100 by 90 m site that has no neighbourly over sailing rights.
The cranes had to be in place to bring up the concrete frames and facades of two towers, the tallest being 146 m and the other 106 m. Ryder also calculated the collar and tie sequence.
Paddy Donaghy, sales manager at London Tower Crane Hire & Sales, said, “Over the next year we will increase our fleet of Jin Long tower cranes. Jin Long Europe have a large selection of CE-certified cranes and they can supply on demand, which is vital when supplying the right crane to the right contract.”
