PHOTO: Crane Tech continues to add training equipment to enhance customer training.
Crane Tech Supports a 240,000-pound Crawler Crane to Support Customers
This vitally important project was addressed in the same way we work with customers. Everything is done to the closest possible perfection. We invest in the appropriate technology, equipment, methods, and people to support those training with us to achieve superior excellence. The addition of the Crawler Crane will enhance our decades of consistent vision: to not merely train crane operators but to lift the entire industry to measurable excellence.
Expanding our training equipment by adding a new Manitowoc 222 Crawler Crane posed challenges such as how to handle the prep work without interfering with ongoing training and other yard work. Where in our equipment training yard would this crane be best suited to function in harmony with other equipment? You don’t just drop something the size of a brontosaurus on the ground and start working. Prep began by excavating an area 24-feet by 35 feet and 18 inches deep. Being a few hundred yards from Tampa Bay, the possibility of unstable soil held concern.
A Focused Strategy
Florida Geotechnical Exploration (FGE) was hired to evaluate how well the area selected for the crane would support the weight and dynamics of the working Manitowoc 222. FGE arrived and tested the soil in multiple locations within the excavated area.
Two objectives were defined:
- To determine if there were any voids or sinkholes in the foundation area.
- To develop a strategy to build up rock and crane mats sufficient to support the weight of the working crane.
FGE drove pipe to an elevation of 17-feet, taking samples every few inches for lab evaluation.
The report at the site showed:
- A few inches of stable soil.
- A layer of vegetation.
- A few inches of old Tampa Bay bottom silt and crustaceans.
- Followed by quality soil all the way to bedrock at 17-feet.
Based on our conversation with the FGE engineer at the site, final preparation began prior to receiving their report by adding more stabilizing base and creating a final grade for the timber mats. The crane mats arrived on schedule and were stacked ready to install. The mats are 8” thick oak bolted together to create a 4-foot wide by 22-foot-long mat. Each mat can withstand 237,000-pounds of compression. Six mats are stacked and ready to be installed. Mats will lay perpendicular to the crane’s crawler treads.
At the crane’s center of rotation (CR), heavy wall pipe was driven into the ground creating a permanent CR reference. The final analysis showed that no more than a 0.05-inches of settlement would occur. Customers are already training for new skills on the crane!
A Consistent Approach
The drive to promote and train for safety and skills is our ongoing dedication to lift the quality of our entire industry: increase the value and expertise of crane operators, reduce/eliminate accidents, and support a company’s productivity.
Let us help you lift your skills and increase productivity. Seeing is believing, so find out more at: www.cranetech.com or call: (813) 248-4800.
