On-road solutions

One of the surprises in the industry this year has been a renewed focus on truck mounted cranes in manufacturers' portfolios. Liebherr, Tadano Faun and Terex, among others, have all announced new truck mounted models this year.

In Terex's case, the TC 60 L (IC KHL News, March 2006) was shown at the Intermat exhibition in Paris with little build up beforehand. Five units have already been sold and deliveries will begin in November this year, according to Jean Pierre Molenda, general manager at Terex-PPM.

Joining the TC 60 L next year will be the TC 40, TC 40 L and the TC 60. Built at the PPM factory in France, the upper of the TC 60 L is similar to that of the AC 55 all terrain and the crane is designed to fall well within the 12 tonnes per axle limit.

Liebherr also launched new truck mounted models this year, which were seen for the first time in June (IC KHL News, March 2006). Both the new 35 tonne capacity LTF 1035-3.1 and the 45 tonne capacity LTF 1045-4.1 use elements of the superstructure design from cranes in the LTM series of wheeled telescopic mobiles.

The LTF 1035-3.1, mounted on a three axle truck, has a superstructure developed from that of the two axle 35 tonne capacity LTM 1030-2.1 all terrain (30 m boom). The superstructure of the four axle LTF 1045-4.1 is developed from that of the new two axle LTM 1040-2 with 35 m boom. A difference from the LTMs is that the LTFs have superstructure engines.

The extra axle on the LTF 1035-3.1 and the two extra axles on the LTF 1045-4.1 allow more counterweight to be carried than on the related LTMs. Maximum counterweight at 12 tonnes per axle on the LTF 1035-3.1 is 5 tonnes and on the LTF 1045-4.1 it is 9 tonnes as opposed to 2.3 tonnes on the LTM 1030-2.1 and 1.5 tonnes on the LTM 1040-2.

The new models differ from traditional truck mounted cranes, according to Hans-Georg Frey, managing director of Liebherr Werk-Ehingen, “We don't have a classic truck crane, we have a different concept in the form of our LTF cranes where we have a standard truck chassis with a standard Liebherr upper structure. [The main difference is a second engine in the upper structure.] This combines two things – we are using existing modules and we have a truck chassis that is cheaper to buy and to operate. For customers who do not need the capabilities of RTs or ATs, customers who travel mainly on the road and where the travelling is very important, the LTF concept is ideal. I think there is a market for them and I think there may be a slight market growth. Reasons include the fact that AT tyres are very expensive and also fuel costs are rising, which, in particular in the small crane class where rates are very low, has had quite an effect.”

Tadano Faun has also added a new truck mounted model to its range on standard commercial chassis (IC KHL News, March 2006). Details of the new model are preliminary but the new HK 40, available on either three or four axles, will have a 10.45 to 35.2 m four section boom that telescopes in 105 seconds. A 9 m extension can be offset at 0, 20 or 40°.

Powering the crane will be a four cylinder 88 kW (118 hp) Mercedes-Benz engine. The three axle version can carry either 2.1 tonnes (27.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight), 4.5 tonnes (31 tonnes GVW) or no counterweight (26 tonnes GVW) while the larger four axle machine carries a basic 4.5 tonnes of ballast.

China

The truck crane market in China is the largest in the world, with 10,000 new units sold annually, according to construction industry analyst Off Highway Research. As companies from outside China invest heavily in setting up subsidiaries and partnerships there, it is interesting to see some Chinese manufacturers concentrating their efforts on selling cranes outside the country. One of these is Zoomlion, which showed a new 70 tonne capacity truck crane at the Intermat exhibition in Paris earlier this year.

The QY70V, made by Zoomlion subsidiary Puyuan, is a four axle machine with a maximum boom length of 60 m. Product manager Michael Yao told IC that it has attracted a lot of interest from potential customers. Such was the interest in the new crane that it did not last the entire week in Paris, as it was bought by a Brazilian customer who wanted immediate delivery.

Yao adds that the Chinese crane market is still showing strong signs of growth but the company felt that it “is more important to start selling more overseas.” Major overseas markets for Zoomlion are currently the Middle East and southern and eastern Asia, according to Yao.

Also on show at Intermat was a new straight boom crane for truck mounting from Japanese manufacturer Furukawa Unic. European distributor Unic Cranes Europe showed the crane as a potential alternative to knuckle booms. It was at Intermat to test market reaction with a view to CE marking it for sale in Europe.

From the V500 series the new UR-V504 is one of a range of 1 to 15 tonne capacity Unic models. Maximum boom length is about 13 m. The one on show had four hydraulic extensions and would mount on a 12 tonne gross vehicle weight chassis.

Advantages of this type of crane, Unic says, include that it is easier to operate than a knuckle boom, it is simpler and more stable. The hydraulic extension cylinder and all mechanisms are contained inside the boom instead of the exterior mounting on a knuckle boom. It has a single double acting cylinder for the first two sections and cables for the second two.

The boom is the same as on the Unic mini crawler range. Boom extension from fully retracted takes 15 seconds, Unic said, and the maximum slewing speed is 2.5 min^-1. It has a fabricated base and continuous rotation via a worm drive. Cable remote control is standard and radio remote is optional.

If Unic decides to sell the crane in Europe it will debut at the next Bauma exhibition in Germany next year.

Boom truck boom

Users and buyers of boom trucks, primarily a product popular in the US, have been presented with a wide range of new models to choose from this year. An interesting factor when looking at the latest wave of new boom trucks is an increase in lifting capacity and a shift towards longer booms. Steve Filipov, president of Terex Cranes, explains, “We are also seeing that market go to the higher end, taking away market from the lower capacity truck cranes, up to 35 to 40 tons.”

Manitex introduced the 45 US ton (40 tonne) capacity 4596T boom truck in June. The machine is the largest capacity boom truck in North America and is designed for heavy duty applications in the oil sector. The 4596T has a 96 foot (29 m) boom, a two-stage offsettable jib, and an option for a second hoist. The subframe has been designed to haul heavy oil field trailers and related equipment and remote controlled outriggers (a boom truck first, according to Manitex) are fitted as standard.

Milwaukee, US-based Giuffre Bros. Cranes, Inc. has added two new truck-mounted cranes to its product line. The new 18 ton (16 tonne) Dino 1800 and 25 ton (22 tonne) Dino 2500 are the results of an exclusive contract between Giuffre Bros. and the Terex Waverly, IA division. Under a special licensing agreement, Giuffre Bros. will be the only crane distributor to handle these two new products.

“Our customers have been asking for truck-mounted cranes with more capacity,” says Dominic Giuffre, vice president of Giuffre Bros. Cranes. “We worked out an agreement with Terex that will enable us to make these products available for immediate or near-immediate delivery.”

Tadano America's latest boom truck is the 20 ton (18 tonne) capacity TM20110, which was shown for the first time at a dealer meeting in April. The new model has 110 feet (33 m) of boom and is the largest boom truck in the company's product line.

The TM20110 has a new pentagonal boom design and uses the TM1882 platform. It has a fully proportional five- section boom reaching a maximum tip height of 120 feet (36 m). The outrigger system is out and down with multi-span settings, allowing the operator to set main frame outriggers in the straight down position and still have the ability to handle a load. The advantage to this is for road and bridge work, where only the traffic lane in which the truck sits needs to be blocked, leaving other lanes open for traffic.

This will be the longest boom crane in the 20 ton boom truck class, the company says. The boom will have 110 feet of horizontal reach without the need to swing and pin a jib. The crane weighs approximately 15,300 pounds and has the option for radio remote control.

New from Elliott Equipment is the 32 ton (29 tonne) capacity 32105 boom truck, which has a 105 foot (32 m) four section boom. Elliott says that several patent pending features have been added to increase both crane and operator productivity. These include a “ride around” operator control platform to give the operator the best view of the load, a thumb throttle engine speed control, which eliminates the need for a foot throttle, allowing the operator to have both feet on the platform when controlling the load, and a remote winch stow that allows a single operator to stow the crane's block and hook after use.