Trio Of Link-Belt RTs Keep Pace At Washington Univ. In St. Louis
This post is courtesy of Link-Belt.
Custom Service Crane, Inc. of Fisher, Illinois recently purchased two Link-Belt 90-ton (80-metric ton) RTC-8090 Series II rough-terrain cranes and a 110-ton (100-metric ton) RTC-80110 Series II for East End expansion at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Construction began in 2017 at Danforth Campus and is on a fast track, time critical schedule for a 2019 completion.
Following 330,000 cubic yards (252,303 cubic meters) of excavation, rough-terrain cranes are used for handling rebar, rebar panels, panel forms and pouring concrete with a Garbro bucket to perimeter walls.
Jason Wibbenmeyer, operations manager at Custom Service Crane for St. Louis area, is quick to point out the advantage of the RTC-8090 Series II for its versatility by having three modular counterweights. Multiple counterweight configurations make transporting the machine more efficient by being able to use only one overflow load. Wibbenmeyer also points out another advantage for the Link-Belt RTC-80110 Series II crane is its ability to drive pilings with its full power boom design.
“These advantages mean more versatility to us, and more service to our customers,” says Wibbenmeyer.
The three rough-terrain cranes can easily move from one location to another on the project where multiple buildings are going up at the same time. Moving unwieldy 40-foot (12.1-meter) by 48-foot (14.6-meter) rebar panels requires the operator to hoist them up, over 50 degrees, and down into narrow passageways, calling for experience from the operator and smoothness from the crane.
The RTC-8090 Series II crane is also needed for its ability to lift panels and forms stored as far away as 120 feet (36.5 meters) and place them at a 115- to 117-foot (35- to 35.6-meter) radius with a boom angle of only 34 degrees. The RTC-80110 Series II can be switched out with the 90-ton rig, and do similar lifts, swinging another 90 degrees to lift rebar cages and forms for the many garage columns as far out as a 130-foot (39.6-meter) radius while having its entire main boom extended to 150 feet (45.7 meters). The crane’s capability, working at that radius eliminates rig relocation or interference with other trades working on rebar panels and trucks delivering materials needed since storage or lay down space is extremely limited.
Jason Wibbenmeyer stated that one of the decisions in choosing the Link-Belt cranes is service.
“We pride ourselves in our service to our customer and we feel that Link-Belt does the same,” says Wibbenmeyer.
“When a machine breaks down it becomes a fire drill for us. It is our primary goal to get that machine up and running as fast as possible. We as a company work very hard to achieve that, with construction deadlines very tight we understand our customer cannot afford any down time.”
“To do that, we need to have a crane manufacturer that can get the parts to us as soon as possible so we can get the machine up and running for our customer. That’s why we choose Link-Belt cranes. We believe their service is great. The parts distribution center is close, so if we need a part, we can typically get it that day, if not then the next morning,” Wibbenmeyer explained.
Link-Belt Cranes, with headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, is a leader in the design and manufacture of telescopic boom and lattice boom cranes for the construction industry worldwide.
Complete crane specifications are available at www.linkbelt.com.
Source: Link-Belt
Looking for a Link-Belt crane? You’ll find hundreds of new and used Link-Belt cranes, including an ample assortment of used Link-Belt rough-terrain cranes, at CraneTrader.com.
Questions? Comments? Visit the CraneTrader Forums to ask questions, get answers, and share your thoughts.