Manitowoc Cranes has completed the required overload test of its Manitowoc 31000. The 31000, which has a rated capacity of 2,535 tons, lifted 5.5 million pounds of test weight. All new crane designs must undergo an overload test to confirm the engineered capacity of the crane.
Larry Weyers, senior vice president of the Americas region, says the test went as expected, and engineers were pleased with how the crane performed under load.
“The lift went very smoothly, and our unique Variable Position Counterweight worked perfectly,” he says. The counterweight minimizes the crane's footprint and ground preparation.
The Manitowoc 31000 was fitted with more than 600 strain gauges that measure the tension or compression of the steel components of the crane while lifting.
Kevin Blaney, manager of product marketing for crawler cranes, says that data from the test will be analyzed to determine if any design changes are required in the production units of the Manitowoc 31000.
“We’ll check the stresses in the structure to verify the preliminary capacities,” he says. “Then we will correct them up or down or modify structural components to assure that actual stresses are within accepted limits.”
Boom lengths on the 31000 will range from 180 ft to 344 ft. Various fixed and luffing jib setups will also be available.
The largest capacity crawler ever designed and built by Manitowoc, the 31000 travels on four trunnion-mounted crawlers and is powered by two 600 hp Cummins engines.
