Tadano’s Latest Truck Crane Technology User-friendliness, quality and reasonable price points

TRUCK CRANE TECHNOLOGY WITH A CUTTING EDGE

12 months ago, Tadano launched the GT-600EL truck crane and crane companies around the country have been quick to recognise its qualities.

WITH THE GT-600EL, TADANO SET OUT TO redefine the truck crane. The vehicle has a number of key features, including its high-tensile steel rounded boom which decreases its weight while increasing strength. A two-stage underslung jib enables the crane to operate in applications with limited access and narrow spaces. The Smart Chart expands the work area, enhancing efficiency, and the HELLO-NET ECO Mode System and Positive control system helps improve fuel consumption.

The GT-600EL is a truck crane built for mobility and safe operator comfort. The carrier is a new design, right down to the suspension, and it has passed long and rigorous road tests in a variety of environments. The cabin has been remodelled with features that contribute to operator comfort and the automatic mechanical transmission enhances safe driving.

The GT-600EL features a highperformance engine, the Daimler OM457LA GT-600EL 4-cycle, turbo charged and after cooled, which has a maximum output of 260 kW (353 PS) and maximum torque of 1,850 Nm (188 kgf-m).

The new suspensions on the carrier feature rubber suspension mounts, codeveloped with Hendrickson. These are designed to optimise driver comfort and increase protection for the carrier.

The high-tensile steel boom provides smooth and powerful crane operation. The operator can select either of the two boom telescoping modes based on the designated job plan, which provides enhanced crane capabilities in accordance with the work at hand.

With the GT-600EL, both the main winch and the auxiliary winch have powerful line pull of 4.5t and operate at high speeds, increasing efficiency.

The crane operating levers are “finger-tip control” type and respond sensitively to the operator.

Specifications on the GT600EL include: • Crane capacity: 60,000KG • 5-Section long boom: 43m • 2-staged jib: 9m/14.3m • Maximum lifting height; 43.4m (boom) • 57.3m (jib) • Maximum load radius: 34.0m (boom) 44.0m (jib)

Tadano’s new AML-C provides “the brains” for every lift, allowing the operator to simultaneously monitor boom angle, boom length, operating pressure of the elevation cylinder, the extension width of outriggers, slewing position, rated lifting capacity and present hook load.

All of these features enable the AML-C to move easily through lifting capacity changes without changing configurations and codes to make a lift. The AML-C with “Operator” pre-set working range limits and the automatic slow stop function assists the operators to deliver safe and smooth operations.

When operating with asymmetric outriggers extended, the AML-C detects the extension width of all of the crane’s outriggers (front, rear, left and right) to measure maximum work capacity in each area.

With the GT-600EL, Tadano set out to redefine the truck crane.

When slewing the boom from the longer outrigger area to the shorter outrigger area, the AML-C detects the motion and displays the maximum capacity according to the extension width of each of the outriggers and brings the motion to a slow stop before it reaches the maximum capacity. Regardless of operator awareness, the AML-C’s slow stop function helps to minimise any safety risk.

Tadano’s new Smart Chart taps into a crane’s full potential by expanding the rear part of the conventional circular work area into a square for increased load radius when the outriggers are extended to improve safety and efficiency.

The HELLO-NET System is used to monitor the crane’s activities straight from a computer or mobile device. It provides the ability to view work history, machine position data and maintenance information. HELLO-NET also provides advanced customer support between the owner’s site and Tadano Oceania.

The system effectively controls the quantity of hydraulic pump discharge during the crane’s operation in response to the amount of movement applied by the operating lever, and it also controls the maximum engine speed during operation.

PERFORMANCE AT A REASONABLE PRICE

User-friendliness and a good price point make the Tadano GT600EL a popular buy.

“THERE ARE 30 PIECES OF PLANT IN the fleet. The smallest crane being a 10t ‘bubble’ City Crane and the largest a 200t all-terrain. There is also a large range of rough terrain, all terrain, truck mounted cranes, 10 pick and carry cranes and six trucks. The fleet mainly supports the maintenance of equipment on the mine sites and industrial process plants around the Latrobe Valley area in Victoria,” said Peter Shaw, Business Unit Manager for the Morwell branch of Boom Logistics.

Shaw took delivery of the Tadano GT600EL in August of last year and he believes it was one of two delivered to Boom Logistics at that time. The other went to Mackay in Queensland.

“We’re using the Tadano GT600EL for taxi crane work and shut down work at the moment, which is servicing our current contracts,” said Shaw. “We have a number of contracts with major providers around the Latrobe Valley which include Exxon Mobil at the Longford Gas Plant, AGL at the Loy Yang mine, Energy Australia in Yallourn and Australian Paper at Maryvale.”

Shaw goes on to explain the advantages of his truck mounted crane in comparison to an all-terrain.

“An all-terrain is a very good

The GT600EL was well utilised during a recent boat racing. competition.

machine, but they’re not always easy to get registered on the roads in Victoria. There have been quite a few changes on how we travel cranes around these days, with restrictions on tyre sizes, weights and configurations,” he said.

“Also, the tyres for the three, four and five axle cranes are wider 20.5 tyres and quite expensive per unit. The Tadano GT600EL truck mounted crane does not have that problem and in the long run the tyre replacements will be readily available. With its load sharing suspension, it is very manoeuvrable and quite good on the roads,” he said.

Cost was also a factor in the decision to buy the GT600EL.

“Generally speaking, the industry seems to be leaning away from truck mounted cranes, but we have found the Tadano GT600EL to be a really nice machine, well appointed and very reasonably priced. Compared to the equivalent in an all-terrain, it was a lot more economically viable, which is a big advantage,” said Shaw.

“We’ve been very happy with the performance of the crane without problems. The GT600EL is user-friendly and it doesn’t take long for an operator that’s new to the crane to get his head around its workings,” he said.

“The operators are happy with both the way the crane drives and performs. We recently had it and an operator at a powerboat racing event in Paynesville. It impressed everyone with the way it moved the boats around and in and out of the water. In my experience, Tadano has always designed and manufactured a user-friendly crane. They provide a good product and support it well,” said Shaw.