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HARD HITTER APRIL 2021
KING OF SPIDERS
SPIDER PLUS INTRODUCES THE BIGGEST MINI SPIDER CRANE IN THE WORLD TO THE REGION – THE UNIC 1006 – WHICH MARRIES A WHOPPING 10T IN MAXIMUM LIFTING CAPACITY WITH COMPACT GO-ANYWHERE DIMENSIONS TO MAKE HEAVY LIFTS POSSIBLE IN DIFFICULT-TO-ACCESS AREAS
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he king of spider cranes has arrived in the region. In December 2020, Dubai-based crane and specialised equipment rental major, Spider Plus, brought in the UNIC URW 1006 spider crane, the biggest of its kind built so far, to join its fleet. The model is deceptively small to look ta when folded and stored, but once it spreads out its jointed outriggers and raises its boom, the arachnoid pose it strikes makes it look every bit a giant spider waiting to pounce on a load as if it’s prey and give it a powerful hoist. “This is the first and the biggest mini spider crane not only in the UAE, but also in the region. It is also the biggest one of its kind ever manufactured,” says Eddie Nobrega, regional sales manager at Spider Plus, as he describes the unit. “Among the most important points about the 1006 is that it only weighs 14t but has a lift capacity of 10t.This is a special ability. Cranes with similar capacities in the market usually have much bigger footprints. The beauty of this crane is that at a certain radius and a certain boom length it also works like a pick-and-carry crane. So, while it’s holding
the load up, it can actually crawl with it. This is a huge benefit for the users of this crane.” The UNIC URW 1006 can crawl forward with the outriggers both in and out. If the outriggers are in while crawling then its maximum capacity to pick and carry is only around 700kg up to a radius of 2.5m. Crawling with extended outriggers, however, it can carry around 1.5t at the same radius, or around double the weight compared to when they are in. The outriggers remain just above the ground and act as balancers and stabilisers while the crane crawls on its rubber tracks with the load. This makes it dual-purpose or a multipurpose crane. Aiding that ability for multipurpose application is its compact, go-anywhere dimensions, and Nobrega describes: “This mini spider crane can squeeze through some really tight gaps and access areas where few other cranes can go. Again, within the UNIC brand of cranes there are very versatile models, which in effect fit through most places. Although this is a big capacity crane and not a small one by any means, it’s not a big, bulky crane and you wouldn’t guess its lifting capabilities by looking at its size when it is folded and moving on a job-site. “We got this in into the UAE around December, and among the first jobs it worked on was at a new crate washing plant site being
