US contractor Lenkin Enterprises has taken delivery of two 40 tonne MDT 809 M40’s, the largest Potain flatop tower cranes in the USA.
Lenkin has deployed the cranes at two different sites in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. One is working on the renovation of Glenstone, a modern art museum in Pototmac, while the other on an aging office building at Georgetown University.
The crane at the museum
The MDT 809 M40 has a maximum capacity of 40 tonnes and up to 80 metres of jib tip capacity of 8.3 tonnes, but for the renovation of the museum, the crane was erected with a custom 85 metre jib to minimise disturbance of the surrounding meadow which is home to wild plants and grass.
Installing the large cruciform base
The custom jib extension also allowed the use of a single crane in place of two, as the longer jib allowed the crane to reach almost the entire building perimeter. The crane is moounted on a ZY854 cruciform counterweighted base, the first in North America.
Erecting the crane
Owner Michael Lenkin said: “The Potain team and the Manitowoc Lift Solutions division worked hand in hand with me to find the right solution so we could adapt the MDT 809 to meet my needs. I was able to get an 85 metre jib for the crane with the capacity my client wanted on a static base, despite having to shoehorn this crane into an alcove at the museum. There were a lot of different challenges, but the work of the team at Manitowoc both in France and the U.S. made it possible.”
The crane at Georgetown was tasked with removing and resetting granite clad precast panels weighing almost 11,000kg, as well as setting structural steel and performing demolition tasks. It was also installed on a ZY854 base on top of the existing building structure.
The ZY854 base
Washington based Lenkin Enterprises was established in 1929 as a full service construction and management firm working with Potain since 2000.
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