22.09.2006

And now for something completely different…..

The Manitowoc crane group unveiled some basic details today of the new big crane that it is working on, the Grove GTK1100.

Rather than follow the other manufacturers with a big crawler crane or another 1,000 tonne telescopic, the company has elected to go for a radically new concept.
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The radically different Grove GTK1100

Essentially the new crane will be a massive mobile telescopic top slewing tower crane. With a load moment in the region of 1,100 tonne/metres and up to 140 metres of maximum tip height.

The new crane in its entirety, can be transported on four large trucks. Lifting capacity is expected to be in the region of 70 tonnes at heights of over 120 metres.

The key components will be, A six section 81 metre tower mounted to a tub type chassis with slew bearing:- Four massive outrigger beams and jacks that fit to the tub to give a cruciform outrigger base:- A superstructure with five section 60 metre telescopic boom, which is fitted to the top of the tower while it is still horizontal, and four lattice spreader arms that extend horizontally from the top of the tower.

Each of these arms is connected to its corresponding outriggers with a folding bar type pendant. The effect of the pendants is to brace or “guy” the tower in order to increase rigidity.
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The superstructure of the Grove GTK1100

The company says that all three crane businesses, Manitowoc, Grove and Potain are involved in the design, which encompasses tower, telescopic and rapid set-up lattice crane technology in a single product.

The GTK1100 is still a project name and subject to change, however the idea is that it builds on the GMK moniker, with the T standing for tower…Grove Tower Kran?
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Note the four spreader arms that tie in to the crane's base

The crane is targeted at lifting applications in confined areas, but the company has worked with wind farm lifting specialists to help tailor the crane for wind farm erection duties.

The company claims a 20 minute set up time, using a single five axle All Terrain assist crane and say that a great deal of engineering effort has gone into ensuring the “walk ability” of the crane, which it is claimed will offer greater mobility between towers than the big crawler cranes that have been designed for wind farm work, especially when the ground conditions are poor.
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A new test pad is being built at Wilhelmshaven for the GTK1100

Manitowoc also sees potential for the concept in other applications where big capacities are required at height, such as refinery and petrochemical work, or in congested urban areas.

Phillipe Cohet Manitowoc executive vice president said today that the company’s aim is to have the new crane on its stand at Bauma in April next year.


Vertikal Comment

Manitowoc had a major challenge on its hands to keep up with Terex and Liebherr in both the big crawler and big telescopic crane markets, rather than simply following the lead of these two and trying to catch up it has sensibly elected to take a different path.

While such a strategy can leapfog a company technologically, it also carries a risk in that concepts that are too radical for their time often fail.

However the crane market is exceptionally strong at present, and by focusing on a specific and growing application- wind farm work- at the very least Manitowoc should be able to generate enough specialist business to make the project worthwhile, while potentially gaining additional volume thorough more general applications.

While this new concept is completely different, many aspects of its design, including the raising of the tower, hark back to the days of the GCI, a Canadian trailer mounted tower crane with lattice tower and a Grove telescopic boomed superstructure on top.

It became a wholly owned Grove product prior to going out of production. The GCI concept was widely accepted and in the end, offered both telescopic and lattice boom options for the superstructure. The major failing of the GCI was the stability of its tower.
With its massive closed box tower, wide outrigger base and guy pendants, the GTK1100 is unlikely to suffer from that problem. (In order to give a sense of scale, the outrigger beams stand over 2.5 metres high)

Given the growing popularity of mobile tower cranes such as the Liebherr MK80/MK100, and the Spierings range, you could easily look on the Grove GTK1100 as a mobile tower crane on steroids.

It is a pleasure to see something in the crane business that is so radically new and different. Whether it will be a raging commercial success or a white elephant remains to be seen. No matter which, you have to applaud Manitowoc's brave strategy.