Reliable Lifters

Improved performance, technology and support are helping customers get the best out of their mobile crane fleets across oil & gas, construction and other key sectors.

With budgets under pressure in 2020, buyers of mobile cranes are on the look-out for efficiency, low ownership costs and on-board technlogy to assist on the job-site.

Well-known mobile crane manufacturer Tadano bolstered its range last year with the acquisition of Demag mobile cranes from Terex, with the range of all-terrain cranes and crawler cranes now sold in the Middle East under the Demag brand.

“Our customers enjoy the fact that Demag all-terrain cranes are compact and feature state-of-the-art technology, with for example the Demag IC-1 Plus control system,” says Jörg Müller, Senior Sales Manager at Demag. The IC-1 Plus, a capacity determination system, helps operators maintain full overview over a lift, with clear indications of what load can be safely lifted at a certain radius. It also allows the operator to carry out complicated lifts, such as using an asymmetric outrigger setup without losing lifting capacity, when operating in a confined space. Overall lift capacities are also calculated instantaneously in the cab, improving lift capacity and allowing less counterweight to be used, which can lower transportation costs.

The interchangeability of parts on certain models, for example jibs, second hoist and counterweight between the AC 130-5 and AC 160-5 or between the AC 220-5 and AC 250-5, makes the Demag all-terrain cranes very attractive for companies to include in their fleets, according to Müller. “Therefore they are very efficient to use and require a lower investment to achieve the highest versatility,” he says, adding that Demag crawler cranes also offer customers long usage and high residual value.

German manufacturer Liebherr has two rough-terrain cranes: the LRT 1090-2.1 with 90-tonne maximum lift capacity, and the LRT 1100-2.1 with 100-tonne capacity. “The main strengths of our RT cranes is their concept: ‘KISS – Keep it simple and safe’,” says Wolfgang Beringer, Head of Marketing and Communication at Liebherr-Werk Ehingen. The two cranes are highly mobile with quick setup, and their ease of operation makes them “perfect for an entry-level operator to gain jobsite experience,” he explains. Additional features include two simple telescoping modes – strong or long – and Liebherr’s variable supporting base VarioBase as standard, as well as hydraulic ballasting device as optional.

In the mobile crane industry, Liebherr is well known for its extensive range of all-terrain cranes. One aspect entails producing cranes with a very high safety standard, in demand for work segments such as refinery projects. Key product features are the second winch for a two-hook operation, the engine shutdown button and the emergency operation of crane hydraulics, says Beringer. “The most important point for our customers is the downtime of each crane, because we are talking about investment goods. The less downtime, the more their investment pays off. In combination with our strong and local service and high spare part availability, we do our best to support our customers as a long-term partner.”

Liebherr cranes have sophisticated onboard systems to improve safety and productivity. In addition, Liebherr Crane Planner and telemetry systems are interesting options for users in the Middle East, says Beringer.

Najib Salim Jabbour, UAE Sales Manager at Kanoo Machinery, the dealer for Grove mobile cranes in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, says that for rough terrain cranes, the main demand from the oil & gas segment is for 50t and 100t cranes. Safety features, especially for zone two works, include shutdown valve and spark arrestor, while machines are inspected and re-certified by a third-party inspector in the UAE.

The GRT8100, Grove’s 100t RTC, is equipped with a fivesection, 47m boom with three operational modes of extension and retraction, and which is able to reach full extension in around 160 seconds. The crane is designed to provide outstanding height and reach, for higher utilisation and greater versatility, as well as higher nominal capacity and stronger load charts to ensure higher rental rates. It also offers ECO mode for intelligent power management and decreased fuel consumption.

For all-terrain cranes, popular Grove models include the 300t GMK6300L and the 100t GMK 4100L-1, widely used in the construction industry, where key applications include installation of tower cranes and lifting materials. These cranes are mainly operated by rental companies, which look for maximum flexibility on a job-site, including use of jibs for additional height and reach.

The GMK6300L with its standard seven-section boom can reach a height of 80m, extending to 120m using the optional 37m extension. Rental companies also like Grove cranes’ fast operation, lower operating costs including fuel efficiency, and strong after-sales with 24/7 service support, says Jabbour. There are also advantages for companies with large fleets; for example, the 21t heavy roadable counterweight and interchangeable slabs for the GMK6300L can also be used on GMK5180-1, GMK5200-1 and GMK5250L all-terrain cranes.

Sany rough terrain cranes are widely used through-out the Gulf. The SRC400C is a 40 tonne capacity crane with a 31.5m boom.

Sany has made steady inroads into the mobile crane market in recent years, mainly in the rough-terrain and truck crane segments. 50-100t are the main market demand for truck cranes, says Michael Chen of Sany Middle East. For roughterrains, there is large demand in the 40-60t range, especially from the oil & gas sector, he adds. That covers the SRC400C and SRC600C. The SRC600C is a 60t RTC with a five section, U-shape boom with a max height of 43.5m, which can be extended an additional 16m with a jib.

Given the stringent safety requirements in the O&G sector, and the importance of reliability, since breakdowns can result in lengthy and expensive delays, cranes need to be able to operate for long periods without any issues, says Chen. Safety features on the 60t crane include a load moment limiter and sensors to indicate the working condition of the whole crane in real time, with alarms and automatic cut-off in the case of dangerous operation.

“The feedback from our customers is that there are three main features that they like: firstly, the reliability; secondly, the service and spare parts guaranteed from our dealer and the Sany team; and thirdly, the cranes have a very reasonable price that will save costs,” says Chen.