Potain adds MDT 248 to flat top towers

Easy transport and assembly are primary features of the new Manitowoc Potain MDT 248 flat top tower crane.

Christophe Simoncelli, vice president of sales for Western Europe at Manitowoc, said customers will appreciate the improvements on the MDT 248. "We have improved and refined the design of the MDT cranes," he said. "By focusing on the key areas of transport and rigging and lift control and productivity, we've created a crane we know will be very popular, especially in France."

The ability to use different types of assist cranes allows for more flexibility on the job site and is a priority for customers in France. The MDT 248 is designed with two options for rigging the top section of the crane.

The cabin, tower heads and hoist can be lifted as a single element by a larger mobile crane for less assembly in the air and to speed up erection. For a lower-capacity mobile crane, the cabin and tower head can be lifted as a single component (a 2 m section weighing 8,445 kg) and the hoist winch can be lifted separately. Slinging loops are built into the design to make both options easy to prepare for lifting.

Centring pins make it easier for riggers to connect sections while assembling the jib on the ground. Riggers will also appreciate the step bar on each section when rigging the jib in the air, the manufacturer said.

Like on the larger MDT 368, the counter jib can be folded for transport. The crane's upper works, including the counter jib, 65 m of jib and the 50 LVF hoist winch, travels on four trucks.

The two versions available are the 10 tonne capacity MDT 248 J10 and the 12 tonne MDT 248 J12. Both have jibs up to 65 m with end loads of 2.5 and 2.4 tonnes. Two winch options are available on both versions. The J10 has the 50 LVF 25 Optima or the 75 LVF 25 Optima. The J12 has the 50 LVF 30 Optima or the 75 LVF 30 Optima.