February 11 - XCMG's XCA5000 all-terrain crane, which it claims is the world's largest, has lifted a 2 MW wind turbine in Yunnan province, China.
XCMG says that the XCA5000 has become the first 2,000-tonne capacity all-terrain crane to be applied in construction around the world, representing a "milestone in the development of wheeled cranes".
The XCA5000 crane was driven to the wind farm site via a 10 km rough mountain road, which the crane manufacturer explained was a severe challenge for any large mobile crane, demanding high chassis braking performance.
Once at the site, which was on the top of a mountain over 3,000 m above sea level, the all-terrain crane positioned the 68-tonne and 22 m high tower bottom on its base, before hoisting the second and third sections on top.
The crane then lifted the huge nacelle, which weighed 91 tonnes and measured 3.5 m x 4 m x 4 m, successfully on to the top of the 81 m high tower, despite particularly strong winds, explained XCMG.
The Chinese manufacturer claims that the XCA5000 all-terrain crane can hoist 3-3.6 MW wind turbines up to a height of 110 m, under demanding working conditions.
