UP FRONT / MANITOWOC
WALKING THROUGH THE NEW GENERATION MANITOWOC ALL TERRAINS Manitowoc’s new generation Grove all terrains are stronger, lighter and feature an emissions compliant single engine. John Stewart walks Cranes and Lifting through the range and highlights how well it has been received. AS A CRANE manufacturer on the global stage Manitowoc has to ensure that new product releases comply with various and differing regulations found in the major markets. This seems to be what happened with it’s Grove all terrain line-up. John Stewart, VP and General Manager of the Manitowoc Australian operation, provides an insight into his company’s work on new products, the engineering involved and how the local market has The range has been well received by the market.
20 / CAL January 2019
received them. Crane manufacturers must comply with the wide range of European and American road regulations and emission standards to sell cranes. This includes Manitowoc and the Grove mobile crane products. These increasingly strict requirements has meant a redesign of the all terrain range seen in Australia. “To fit a new engine into an existing range might sound straight forward,
but it isn’t,” Stewart said. “Not all new, low emission engines fit into the cranes existing envelop which leads to major redesigns which can lead to a lull in terms of product releases. But in 2015, shipments of the GMK 5250L – a completely new five-axle 250t machine – began arriving in Australia. Today we have over 20 in the country.” The GMK5250L was the first of the new generation of cranes with the single engine and it allowed for a much stronger and lighter crane with an efficient engine. “At Manitowoc we like to think we take the lead with innovative technology and the Megatrak suspension system is a good example. It’s an independent suspension without a solid axle underneath. Independent suspension is a much better system, it’s lighter and you don’t have a dead weight hanging beneath the crane,” Stewart said. “We can add more weight where it is needed versus having the axle dead weight which allows for our frames to be deeper as we don’t have the differential moving up and down underneath the crane. Our frames can be deeper which means you have a stronger crane with less material. “We keep enhancing the Megatrak system by moving to ‘top steering’ and making weight saving measures so the cranes are getting more compact and lighter, but also stronger. The GMK5250L was the first big step in this direction.” Manitowoc also ‘wrap’ or bend chassis frames from one piece of plate versus welding six or seven pieces of plate together. This saves weight and also strengthens the frame, as every weld could www.cranesandlifting.com.au
