New 30 tonne tower crane from Wolffkran

The new Wolff 550 B luffer is in the higher load moment range. Photo: Wolffkran

A new high capacity luffing jib tower crane is joining the Wolffkran range.

The new 30 tonne capacity 550 B will get its first public airing at the Bauma 2025 show in Munich, Germany, this April.

The latest addition fits in the range between the well-established 355 B and the 630 B. Wolffkran said strong demand around the world for larger tower cranes informed the decision to add this size of luffer. All five of the Wolff cranes on show at Bauma will be larger models.

“Our customers are increasingly requesting cranes in the 500 to 600 tonne-metre range for infrastructure projects, industrial plants, and data centres. Despite a weak economic outlook, there is still a lot of construction happening in these sectors,” said Mohamed Abouelezz, head of business development and product management.

Capacity is 30 tonnes on two falls of rope and 15 tonnes in single-fall mode. Maximum jib is 65 metres, at the end of which it can lift 5 tonnes. “These lifting capacities are market-leading in this crane class,” Abouelezz said.

The new model is the first Wolff to have a flexibly mountable cabin as standard. Flex Cab can be mounted on either side of the slewing platform. Photo: Wolffkran

Big winch

From launch the new model will have a 110 kW winch for the main hoist. “By the end of the year, we’ll be raising the bar even further by offering the 550 B with a more powerful hoist winch, with which the luffing jib crane can lift up to 36 tonnes in two-fall operation. There will also be a US-market version with a 132 kW hoist.

The winch allows for a 920 metre lift on one fall of rope and 460 metres in two-fall operation and a maximum hoisting speed of 200 metres per minute.

On the standard 2.3 x 2.3 metre tower the maximum freestanding height is just under 52 metres. Mounting the new crane on a 2.9 metre tower increases it to 82.2 metres. For internal climbing application the new model is compatible with the KSH 23 internal climbing frame. This allows a height increase of nearly 27 metres at a time, up from the 15.5 metres possible with the standard climbing equipment.

An interesting feature of the new crane is that it has the Flex Cab operator cabin as standard which can be mounted on either side of the crane. “It might seem trivial which side the crane cabin is on, but in day-to-day construction, such details can make a difference,” Abouelezz said.

Having the flexibility makes it easier from a site planning point of view and it is said to offer benefits where cranes need to be climbed down at the end of the job.

Wolffkran opens the 550 B order book in June.