Crane service provider Felbermayr recently replaced four gigantic whey tanks at Sachsenmilch GmbH’s Leppersdorf facility, where the Terex AC 1000 all terrain crane proved to be the ideal machine for the job thanks to its long reach and incredibly large lifting capacity. However, before the lift even started, a number of unique challenges awaited the Felbermayr team and our AC 1000 at the so called “Milky Way” plant.
One challenge was the project’s requirement that the lifts and crane set up did not interrupt production. This condition required an elaborate plan that had to be followed meticulously in order to successfully replace the whey tanks in the required timeframe. As if that was not enough, the jobsite conditions made things even more difficult:
The premises lacked space to maneuver the crane. Additionally, the ground where the crane had to be set up was on a steep slope. “In order to compensate for the downhill slope, we supported the AC 1000 by retracting the rear right outrigger almost completely and extending the front left outrigger almost fully, which allowed us to deal with the challenging jobsite,” explains Terex service technician Hartwig Bock, who provided support for the project. The jib assembly and reeving processes also came with its own challenges for the team, as it had to be performed in an inclined position above the front left outrigger, meaning that the main boom could not be placed on a fully horizontal position at 0°. At the same time, the base for the jib had to be held above a cantilevered projection in front of the building in order to keep the access road clear for sugar shipments. “Despite all this, the Felbermayr team was able to expertly overcome these challenges together with our technicians,” reports Terex sales representative Robert Puchner, who had nothing but praise for the excellent and professional teamwork between the two teams.
In order to prepare the crane with the configuration for the upcoming lift, the Felbermayr team set up the AC 1000 with a boom length of 29.2 meters by extending telescopic segments two and three while leaving segments one and four completely retracted. Following this, the team installed a 60-meter luffing fly jib in order to attain the required reach of 52 to 54 meters and a hook height of 70 meters. Finally, 208 tonnes of counterweight was added. “We were able to dispense the need of bringing additional counterweight for an SSL configuration, since the AC 1000’s lifting capacity with this configuration was more than enough for this project,” explains crane operator Wolfgang Korch. “I am very impressed with the AC 1000 – especially how easy the crane was to control, operate, set up, and disassemble.”
With the AC 1000 in proper position and configuration, the operator lifted the old 24-tonne tank, swung it to the side within a radius of 51 meters, and set it down in a horizontal position with the help of a Terex AC 80-2 crane. Next, the AC 1000 lifted the new 30-tonne tank, swung it within the same radius and precisely lowered the new whey tank in to place.
The Felbermayr team repeated this exact same procedure on the four Fridays between August 3rd and August 24th, 2012, allowing production at Sachsenmilch GmbH to go undisturbed. Felbermayr project manager Steffen Wenk gave a positive report of the project: “The crane performed flawlessly, on top of that, it has extraordinary handling characteristics for its enormous size, even when space is tight and difficult to maneuver around. The AC 1000 was an ideal crane for this project and showed us what it’s made of.”
The Terex® AC 1000
The nine-axle Terex AC 1000 is the world’s most powerful all-terrain crane that can travel on public roads with its 50 meter main boom on. With 20,31 meters in length, the AC 1000 is remarkably compact and maneuverable for a 1,200 tonne capacity class crane. The machine can travel with its 50 m-long main boom on public roads to nearly any location in the world and has the fastest setup times of any crane in its category thanks to its patented luffing jib erecting system. Having a maximum system length of 163 m, the wide selection of extensions and attachments for the unit have been designed for transportation on standard trailer trucks, eliminating the expensive and time-consuming process of obtaining permits and having to use special-purpose vehicles.
The AC 1000 is available with a 50 or 100-meter main boom, which is equipped with a patented, open nose sheave that makes it particularly easy to attach additional boom segments. This allows short rigging times to reach 100 meter lifting height. In addition, the optional SSL system increases the machine’s lifting capacity for a variety of applications.
The ergonomically designed crane cab, which can be tilted 20° backwards, is equipped with an integrated IC-1 touchscreen control system. This system allows operators to have quick access to important information such as wind speed, wind direction, hook load, rated lifting capacity, reach, boom length, and calculated and actual outrigger loads by simply tapping the screen.
The Terex® AC 1000 reaches travelling speeds of up to 80 km/h. A variable-ratio steering system with active, speed-sensitive, electronically controlled rear axle power steering provides excellent maneuverability & cornering stability. The crane length is 20,31 meters.
The Terex® AC 80-2
With a length of 12.11 meters, the Terex AC 80-2 is the shortest four-axle crane of its class. Lifting capacity is up to 80 tonnes with a maximum load moment of 255 of mt. A powerful 428-metric-hp Daimler engine, together with a convenient 6-speed automatic transmission gives the crane outstanding performance. Meanwhile, an independent rear-axle steering system provides a high level of maneuverability. Short telescoping times and the ability to telescope large loads (a result of its fully hydraulic boom system) make a compelling argument when this all-terrain crane is at work in real-life operations, as does the fact that the crane can travel on public roads—in full compliance with the 12-tonne axle load limit —while carrying its 6.8-tonne counterweight and 17-meter main boom extension. The telescopic main boom’s length ranges from 10.9 to 50 meters. Additional options include main boom extensions available with a single-section or double-section jib (with a length of 9.2 meters and 17.6 meters respectively), as well as a 1.20-meter-long assembly jib..
About Felbermayr
Felbermayr Holding GmbH, headquartered in Wels, Austria, is the umbrella organization for 16 subsidiaries that focus primarily on transportation and lifting equipment, civil engineering and building construction projects. The corporate group currently employs 2,000 specialists in the areas of special transportation, mobile crane and working platform rentals, heavy lift handling, civil engineering, and building construction. With 51 locations in 14 countries, the Felbermayr group has a strong presence across all of Europe, with 13 of those locations situated in Germany (including the group’s German headquarters in Hilden).
The fact that the transportation and lifting equipment industry and the construction industry complement each other so well has enabled Felbermayr to establish a successful position on the market as a full-service provider in both segments for years now.
For more information, please visit www.felbermayr.cc
About Terex
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Terex reports in five business segments: Aerial Work Platforms; Construction; Cranes; Material Handling & Port Solutions; and Materials Processing. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information can be found at www.terex.com.
Author; Agustin Dominguez
