Special installation for large Potain flat top tower crane

The Potain MDT 1609 lifts 40 tonnes and has a maximum jib length of 80 metres. Image: Manitowoc

Building materials specialist Bachl Group in Germany is up and running with the Potain MDT 1609, manufacturer Manitowoc’s largest flat top tower crane in Europe.

As a version from the 1600 series (1,600 tonne-metres) it lifts 40 tonnes and can lift 14.1 tonnes at the end of its maximum 80 metre jib.

This first example was installed at a height of 40.2 metres on the customer’s existing cylindrical steel tower that had previously already carried a tower crane.

The new crane was erected in May by mobile crane rental specialist Kran Saller at the headquarters of building materials company Karl Bachl Betonwerke in Bavaria. It is used to move precast concrete elements and other construction goods in the storage yard.

The new tower crane’s 80 metre boom allows Bachl to maximise its yard space and streamline loading and pre-loading of components weighing up to 40 tonnes prior to shipping.

Kran Saller used its 450 tonne capacity Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1 wheeled mobile telescopic crane to erect the new large flat top Potain tower crane on an existing tower of unusual closed cylindrical design. Photo: Kran Saller

Clever tech

On the technology front the new crane has a new storage system capturing kinetic energy when a load is lowered which can then be used to help lift the next load and reduce overall electricity consumption. It is similar to regenerative braking in a car.

The Crane Control System (CCS) offers common and familiar controls and quick setup and easy commissioning so crane operations can be set in just 15 minutes following installation, the company said.

Bachl is using the Potain Connect telematics system for remote diagnosis and maintenance to help maximise machine uptime.

Engineering adaptability

The unusual cylindrical closed steel tower previously carried another crane. Its integration with the new crane was done by Potain dealer Moser Baumaschinen and Manitowoc Lift Solutions which provided design and engineering support. A custom adapter was designed and built to connect the upper works of the MDT 1609 to the existing mast. As a considerable piece of engineering, the adaptor is 3.2 metres in diameter, 1.55 metres tall and weighs 7.5 tonnes.

“Each project for Lift Solutions is unique because we are tailoring engineered solutions specifically to the project. For the MDT 1609, we required all our engineering know-how and close co-operation with Moser Baumaschinen, with whom we’ve worked for over 30 years as a Potain dealer. The result was a huge success,” said Bernard Ecabert, Lift Solutions manager for tower cranes at Manitowoc.

Components of the new Potain MDT 1609, as installed by Kran Saller, weighed up to 30 tonnes. Photo: Kran Saller