Masonry Magazine December 1983 Page. 24
Overview of the First & Pine Building project with Puget Sound in the background.
UNIQUE CRANE continued from page 17
Enter the Austrian-built Liebherr 44 K FasTower self-erecting crane distributed by Morrow Crane Co., Inc. of Salem. Ore. Towed by a tractor, the novel lifting device made its way down narrow Post Alley. At the jobsite a two-man erection team, consisting of a Morrow technician and a helper provided by the contractor, set to work.
First, the dual-axle transport dolly was detached; the crane was then hooked up to public power, the outriggers were set, and the machine "opened for business." No outside mobile crane assistance was needed.
Normally, this crane will self-erect in about a day. But because of adverse weather and ground conditions-and abnormal job site congestion (many sidewalk superintendents were on hand)-it took 1½ days to go up. According to Langberg, for the money it would have cost to erect a conventional tower crane Gall-Landau-Young paid the entire six-month self-erecting crane rental fee.
G-L-Y vice president Frank Burgess put it another way: "By using the 44 K we reduced our hoisting equipment costs by 28 percent over the next-best alternative. We see this crane as the solution to our hoisting problems on low-rise projects in highly congested metropolitan areas."
During set-up. the crane used all three of its optional tower sections to climb to a maximum 98 ft. height under hook. The all-electric crane was also outfitted with a maximum jib length of 123 ft. (three different jib lengths are available) to lift rebars, flying forms, gang forms, column forms, concrete, and various size wall panels.
Operator "Climbs" with Job
Since the FasTower features a remote control capability, the crane operator in Seattle controlled at first from about mid-way up the tower. As the building grew, he took a higher and higher position, using the 115 ft. remote control cable, until he eventually worked from the top-mounted cab. No signalman was needed. Since the crane runs on electricity, the need for an oiler also is eliminated and fuel savings are significant.
What impressed job superintendent Langberg most about the crane? "I don't know how we could have gotten anything else in to take its place," he said. "It was physically impossible on that site. It's amazing the way it erects itself."
Morrow Crane Co. maintains sales and service facilities throughout North America and is the exclusive Liebherr distributor in the U.S. and Canada. The firm presently markets seven different crane models.
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