Masonry Magazine June 1983 Page. 5
Self-Erecting Cranes Could Give
Mason Contractors a Big Lift
Acceptance Grows in the U.S. for German-Designed Unit
A little over a year ago the typical American building contractor had never heard of the self-erecting tower crane. Today, however, it is one of the hottest new pieces of construction equipment around.
Simply put, the self-erecting tower crane is a smaller, self-contained and highly roadable version of the larger saddle job cranes used on highrises. The big difference is that most "self-erecting" cranes do just that they practically erect (and dismantle) themselves, with no outside equipment needed. They also operate free of costly concrete supporting pads and anchors.
Two other major variances are that the cranes have no counterjib and are bottom-turning, their counterweights being in the form of ballast blocks mounted on the turning platform.
Morrow Crane Co. of Salem, Ore., exclusive distributor of the German-designed Liebherr tower cranes in North America, is believed to be the first American company to set up a formal marketing program for the self-erecting crane, and claims to enjoy the largest share (close to 75 percent) of the U.S. market.
The firm first introduced the novel machines (called "K" cranes in Europe and dubbed the "FasTower" by Morrow) at the 1981 Conexpo in Houston. The demonstration model was quickly leased by a local contractor and put to use on a parking garage project in that city. From there the crane's popularity spread to Florida and Alabama. Soon after, the yellow machines were on the job in Seattle, Portland and Eugene, Ore., San Jose, Denver, Little Rock, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-about 30 installations in all.
Designed for midrise structures 10 stories high and smaller, the self-erecting crane's acceptance has been relatively rapid as building contractors across the country learned of its unique operating features and cost-saving advantages.
Before the self-erecting crane arrived on the scene, it
FASTOWER
VS
CONVENTIONAL
CRANE
Drawing depicts how the self-erecting tower crane's right angle design allows it to work in tight spaces as compared with conventional mobile boom cranes.
was normal for mobile truck and crawler cranes to do all the lifting for smaller structures. But now the self-erecting crane, which is able to set up much closer to the job and deliver a lot more horizontal reach, is going up against the mobile units head on.
Many building projects today have severe space restrictions. Either access to the jobsite is tight or there is very little set-up space for the crane. The mobile crane is ruled out because of the large working area it needs. The self-erecting crane can be set up without blocking traffic and doesn't have to constantly reposition itself.
An additional advantage is that it doesn't require an oiler or signalman, which represents a significant savings in operating costs. Yet another asset is that the self-erecting crane is electrically powered, compared to the mobile crane which burns costly diesel fuel.
Newest member of the FasTower line is the Model 30 KR, which is crawler-mounted for use on rough terrain.
Two Liebherr FasTower self-erecting tower cranes working in tandem on rails in Seattle.