SECTOR REPORT Ӏ RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION


the GMK5120L lifted them into


place. Speed was of the essence as there were 1,500 modules, with each measuring 7.5 x 3.3 metres and weighing between seven and 12 tonnes. To place them the GMK5120L was configured with a main boom of 39.1 metres and 30.7 tonnes of counterweight. In this configuration, the crane can lift 12 tonnes to a radius of 22 metres. In addition to placing the modules, the crane was also used to install staircases and other items inside the developments. “Our Grove GMK5120L


completes the work as a one- man machine,” says Oscar van Sambeek, team lead of transport at VDL De Meeuw. “We don’t need to send any additional counterweight or equipment by truck. It’s a unique package and is helping us complete the work in the most effective way possible.” Also in the Netherlands, Dutch crane rental and transport company, Kraanverhuur T. Pater, has replaced an older five-axle Grove crane with a newer, stronger option due to the increase in prefabricated construction work. Kraanverhuur T. Pater upgraded its Grove GMK5095


all-terrain crane for a larger 150 t GMK5150XL because its customers in the construction sector are increasingly looking to lift bigger prefabricated loads. One of the first projects for the GMK5150XL was in the village of Tienhoven where it lifted concrete floor panels for a community building and sports hall. It placed a number of six tonne panels at a radius of 16 metres and lifted them from a narrow footprint, aided by to the crane’s MAXbase variable outrigger positioning system. In Germany, crane specialist Schußmann, based in Mammendorf (near Munich), used one of its most powerful mobile cranes, a Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1, to assemble 158 prefabricated timber-hybrid modules that will be used as resident’s rooms at Germany's largest care home in Vöhringen. With its 85-metre telescopic boom the LTM 1450-8.1 was able to assemble all the 15-tonne modules from just three different locations on the construction site without the need to set up a lattice extension. Each of the fully equipped accommodation units is 4.4 metres


wide and 7.8 metres long and not includes flooring materials, wall panelling, built-in cupboards, electrics and plumbing fixtures. On the top floor of the complex the 450-tonne Liebherr crane worked with just 34 tonnes of ballast. Finally, in the USA, lifting,


Kraanverhuur


T. Pater upgraded its Grove all terrain due to increasingly heavier prefabricated loads


heavy-rigging, and heavy hauling specialist Barnhart utilised a 220 tonne (265 US ton) Liebherr LTM 1220 crane to lift and set seven small prebuilt homes for a ‘no income’ housing community initiative in Vancouver, Washington. Each home was 14ft wide x 44ft long, weighed 34,000 lb and contained 735 square feet of living space. They were brought in by trailer to be set onto their designated pads. The footprint of the entire community was small and there were power lines to consider and avoid. For the job Barnhart’s Oregon branch deployed a ground crew team comprising one lift director and three riggers. Precision was required to successfully lift the units up in the air, manoeuvre them in place and set them in position. The job even made the news. Watch the news story here: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=luHxpGFNEm0 The homes will house up to


five people each, giving those who are struggling a way out of homelessness. In conclusion, we see that


increasing global demand for housing is driving the use of a diverse range of crane technologies. Factors such as efficiency, speed, and versatility are paramount, whatever type of crane is used; finding the best solution, especially given the varied logistical challenges contractors face in residential construction, relies upon a flexible and forward- thinking approach from both crane users and, ultimately, crane manufacturers, too.


CRANES TODAY 23


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