One of the first Model 14000 crawler cranes in the field was put to work on a power plant in eastern Ohio. The crane, which is one of several ordered by rental giant ALL Erection and Crane Rental Corp., was used to erect a number of components for a new conveyor system.
MMIC, an Ohio-based lifting services company, rented the Model 14000 from ALL Erection. The company was sub-contracted to erect nine conveyors on the project varying from 13 to 363 yd. (12 to 332 m) in length and 1.3 to 2.6 yd. (1.2 to 2.4 m) in width. Weight of the conveyors varied from 9.9 to 35 tons (9 to 32 t).
Originally, MMIC contacted ALL Erection about renting a different Manitowoc crawler crane for the job. ALL offered its first delivered Model 14000 as the best choice.
Bernie Paridon, a sales representative at ALL Erection, said the 14000 was a very good fit for the project.
“MMIC was looking for Model 888 which we did not have in stock at the time, but the Model 14000 was being delivered from the factory the week before they needed it,” he said. “We reviewed the load charts and everything really fell into place from there.”
The Model 14000 has a maximum capacity of 220 tons (200 t) and can accommodate up to 97 yd. (89 m) of main boom. It also has up to 56.6 yd. (51.8 m) of luffing jib available. With these capabilities the crane was perfect for the job.
Doyle Stevens, field superintendent with MMIC, said the performance of the Model 14000 was impressive.
“We completed 100 picks on this job and made 30 of them with the Model 14000,” he said. “The capacity of the crane has really impressed us. We were picking pieces weighing over 6.6 tons from over 65 yards away.”
The conveyor system forms part of a flue gas desulfurization system at the power station. This is being installed as part of an air quality control system. In this flue gas desulfurization system, gasses emitted from burning coal are ’scrubbed’ via a chemical reaction with lime which renders the emissions significantly less harmful to the environment.
