Tutt Bryant Equipment introduce new HSC crawler

HIGHER CAPACITY AND VERY TRANSPORTABLE

Tutt Bryant Equipment (TBE) recently announced the most important model in the HSC Sumitomo SCX-3 crawler crane range will soon be landing in Australia. The SCX2800A-3 replaces the SCX2800-2 in the highly popular 275t capacity class, and the unit will be the first of several to arrive later in the year and into 2022.

The new SCX2800A-3 will come in a standard lift crane or luffing configurations.

INDUSTRY STALWART AND CRAWLER

crane expert, Phil Chadwick, recently joined TBE as the Business Development Manager for the Southern Region, covering Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. His 30-year career has seen him work with most brands of crawler cranes. He provides insights into why he believes the HSC SCX2800A-3 will be a must-have for many crane fleets.

“I am delighted to be working with the team at TBE. It is a very exciting time for the business and for the industry in general. In all my 30 years of selling and working with cranes, I can’t remember a more dynamic and challenging time. “

“My new role with TBE is territory aligned rather than brand aligned, so I will be working with Peter Lawgall on all mobile cranes including Kato, SANY and HSC Sumitomo,” he said.

Chadwick discusses the HSC product and how it compares to other brands he has worked with.

“Crawler cranes are well suited to the mining industries of Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia and they also work well in the civil construction and the major infrastructure programs happening in the larger states including Victoria and NSW. In my experience, the largest selling crawler was always the Kobelco CKE2500, the 250 tonner and one of the main reasons this was so popular was ease of transportability.

“I can see the HSC SCX2800A-3 becoming even more popular as a result of the extra lifting capacity. The 250tclass has almost been superseded, with tenders now asking for 275t, 280t or 300t capacity cranes. I think the SCX2800A-3 has a significant advantage because of this. The resources and infrastructure booms are going to see bigger cranes and the capacities will be from 275t and up. Everything is getting bigger,” he said.

The introduction of the SCX2800A-3 will enable us to build on the successes and popularity of the SCX2800-2 crane, which can be found operating on many projects across Australia. The new SCX2800A-3 will come in a standard lift crane or luffing configurations and it features a number of advanced features to further increase performance and efficiency. It also has compatibility that allows interchangeability with components from the older model such as boom insert sections. This enables owners to have greater flexibility and economic advantages when upgrading to the new SCX2800A-3.

The SCX2800A-3 is similar in design to the rest of the SCX series, enabling efficient transportation, assembly and disassembly, and much improved safety of the crane operator and all other personnel within the working environment.

Along with extra-wide windows, ergonomic designs such as a new large sliding door, a wide platform, and a comfortable and highly functional operators seat all aimed at reducing operator fatigue and increasing functionality. For better visibility when moving loads at height, a tilt mechanism allows the cab to be angled by up to 18°. Optional handrails and walkways from the factory also ensure safety while working at heights.

The operator will benefit from brand new features such as a simple and easy-to-view interface designed to ensure information is provided in the most succinct, intuitive and reliable way possible. Productivity is further enhanced by the fine speed control dials for hoisting, lowering, swinging and boom hoisting operations which are positioned beside the operator for ease of access, while a swing mode selector switch allows the choice between swing-free or swingbrake operation depending on work requirements and personal preferences.

The all-new Load Moment Indicator (LMI) with data-logging capabilities records duty cycle and winch hours, as well as load moment and line pull. These are important features that will allow the crane owner to have enhanced accurately when calculating the available design life remaining on the machine. This should, in theory, increase the safe operational age of the machine from current methods employed in complying with the new Australian regulations.

As a standard feature, Remote Sensing is installed in all machines to minimise downtime, ensure accurate maintenance and improve machine marketability.

In addition to a powerful 13.5t rated line pull winch for steady operations, the SCX2800A-3 has an Eco-Winch mode which allows high line speeds under light loads without having to increase the engine speed (low rpm). Bringing lower

The HSC SCX range is designed for operating around large infrastructure projects.

The counterweights are identical shapes (excluding the base weights) for the left and right sides, to help ease of assembly process.

fuel consumption and reduced noise, this is an eco-friendly feature that will save fuel costs and minimise environmental impacts.

Other clever features are the winch rope Lower Limit Indicators that ensure a minimum of three wraps of hoist rope remain on each drum so as to prevent failure of the rope termination on the drum, along with the wide winch drum design which minimises potential damage to winch ropes.

Productivity gains will also be achieved via a unique combined hydraulic circuit developed by HSC Sumitomo. By increasing and optimising the pump pressure through the use of a mixed circuit to control the hydraulic oil from two hydraulic pumps, operability is enhanced when travelling, hoisting/lowering, swing and boom hoisting, all of which can be undertaken simultaneously.

The SCX2800A-3 is available with Stage IIIA / Tier 3 engines, customers have the option to order the crane with a Cummins QSL9 engine that meets Stage IV / Tier 4 Final emissions regulations. Along with major reduction in exhaust gas emissions, customers will benefit from reduced fuel consumption, saving cost and decreasing CO2 emissions.

What is truly exciting about the SCX2800A-3 are the optional features that provide owners with greater flexibility and efficiency.

A Reduction Counterweight specification is expected to be widely taken up by customers. By removing counterweights on the upper structure, this feature will allow the SCX2800A-3 to be utilised in four different capacity classes (275t, 260t, 250t and 240t). Coming into its own in situations where lower operating weight / reduced ground bearing pressure are required, the Reduction Counterweight specification will further give owners the flexibility to use the SCX2800A-3 as a lower capacity crane, whereupon the amount of counterweights needed to be transported to a job-site can be reduced.

The SCX2800A-3 also has optional 1260mm wide track shoes, some 140mm wider than the standard shoes. Reducing the ground bearing pressure by 12.5%, this will make the crane more flexible and reduce the requirements for ground improvement tools.

Another option that will greatly improve safety around the crane is the Swing Restriction system. Used to limit the range of slew to pre-set working zones, the system aims to allow smooth operations when working within tight constrained sites. There is an added slowdown function prior to reaching the no-go zone, thereby minimising load swing.

Chadwick talks about the features and benefits of the HSC range.

“The truth is anything Japanese is excellent. In my experience, HSC crawler cranes are designed and manufactured with traditional engineering values in mind and the SCX2800A-3 is a standout machine. It is the biggest crane in its class, which is easily and economically transportable. The challenge to increase the lifting capacity but to keep the carrier small, has always revolved around the size of the slew ring and having the strength in the slew ring to keep the weight down and make it easily transportable. HSC has optimised this crane to be the biggest lifter whilst keeping it transportable,” he said.

David Taylor, Business Development Manager for Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift is also excited to see the HSC SCX2800A-3 join his fleet in Western Australia.

“The SCX range has been extremely well-accepted since its introduction into the Australian market. All models have been popular, but I can see the SCX2800A-3 will probably be the most popular. Due to its mid-range size and genuine versatility, I can see it generating a lot of interest in various industry sectors,” he said.

Taylor explains why the SCX series has been so successful with customers and projects.

“All models in the range have proved to be incredibly reliable and this has made them highly sought after by project managers. They are also very user friendly and intuitive to operate and this has proved to be a real winner with operators. Their ease of operation and reliability really set them apart,” he said.

“In my opinion, the HSC SCX2800A-3 incorporates a few important features including its ability to operate with reduced counterweights, a slew limiter for work in confined spaces whilst still being compatible with the previous model, making components interchangeable. This will prove to be a really handy feature with existing owners of the SCX series.

“I believe this model will be embraced by operators and organisations who are looking for a dependable user-friendly piece of equipment. This crane will be an ideal general workhorse in any fleet and will suit a myriad of applications. We can be working on any number of projects at any one time and from what I have seen of this crane, it could be working on any one of them,” said Taylor.