USA-based Superior Cranes has invested in a Demag CC 6800-1 crawler crane, which has a 1,375-ton (1,250-tonne) lifting capacity, enabling it to land a challenging petrochemical job in Virginia.
“Even though we have the 1,320-ton (1,200-tonne) capacity class Demag AC 1000-9 all-terrain crane, there were three jobs in 2018 that we couldn’t bid because it was not possible to use an all-terrain crane,” said Joe Everett, president of Superior Cranes. “We needed a crawler crane with about the same capacity, so we did not miss out on other opportunities.”
The new crawler was immediately mobilised to a petrochemical project in Virginia. Demag engineers assisted the company to devise a lift plan for a site with limited access and crane mobility after the load was lifted.
Multiple 308-ton (279.4-tonne) vessels had to be removed and replaced. “The crane had to navigate on the narrow job site,” said Everett. “We had to build a pad for the crane, so the counterweight could swing over the top of the building. The lifts took nearly eight months to plan.”
The Demag CC 6800-1 crawler had to be positioned far away from the 6.1 m-diameter, 12.2 m-tall vessels. 79 m of main boom and 41 m of Superlift boom were installed to complete the lifts. Superior Cranes’ crew used a 300-ton (275-tonne) crawler assist crane to build out the CC 6800-1. “It took ten days to set up and six days to disassemble the [CC 6800-1] crane, which is excellent given the space we had to work with and it being our first time. The process will get faster, especially on wide open jobsites,” Everett explained.
To improve construction safety, the CC 6800-1 is equipped with the Demag fall protection system. “This system stops a fall prior to the worker reaching the ground, reducing the possibility of injury,” said Hans Hofer, service engineer for Demag. It is installed from ground level and includes a vest harness equipped with a shock absorber.
A total of 12 lifts were made during the month that Superior Cranes was on site.
