Potain MDT 809 Tower Crane Building Urban Village In Washington, DC

---

A 27.6-ton Potain MDT 809 M25 topless tower crane has become the first of its kind to hit American shores. (Photo courtesy of Manitowoc.)

Schuster Concrete Construction of Owings Mills, Maryland, recently bought a 27.6-ton (25-metric-ton) Potain MDT 809 M25 topless tower crane, the first of that model to reach the United States. It has started its American operation, fittingly, in Washington, D.C. on the City Ridge redevelopment project.

“Potain is the only brand that has a topless crane design combined with excellent load charts like the MDT 809 M25,” says Schuster’s Manager of Special Operations, John Bildstein. “We also chose the Potain because almost our entire fleet consists of other Potain models, and we are comfortable deploying the equipment on any job. Also, over the years we have received excellent customer service support from Manitowoc.”

On The Job

The “City Ridge” project aims to turn the former headquarters of Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association) and surrounding area into an urban village. Scheduled for an early 2022 completion date, the plan calls for construction of 652 residential units, a 150-room hotel, 153,000 square feet (14,200 square meters) of retail space, and 62,000 sq ft (5,760 sq m) of office space.

Potain says that the MDT 809 is designed for expedited setup. It has several features to speed up its commissioning process, including using the screen of the CCS (Crane Control System) to adjust its safety devices. After establishing power to its turntable, assembly of Schuster’s new crane took only 3.5 hours, the company says.

---

The Potain MDT 809 M25 is currently moving rebar and formwork to turn the former headquarters of Fannie Mae into a mixed-use “urban village.” (Photo courtesy of Manitowoc.)

The MDT 809 is currently moving rebar and formwork, and helping the crew with concrete-pouring tasks. “The material isn’t much heavier than what we usually use, but with the MDT 809 M25 we can move much larger amounts at a time, which enables us to be way faster and keep pace on the schedule that we have,” says Bildstein.

The crane’s topless design provides more clearance between tower cranes on the job site, according to Manitowoc, and its up-and-over reach has been saving Schuster’s crew time. “The MDT 809 M25 definitely plays a critical role in improving our efficiency on the jobsite,” Bildstein says.

Inexpensive Power

Potain says it builds the MDT 809 to offer “the high-capacity lifting performance you expect from a hammerhead tower crane and the reduced operating costs of a topless crane.” The 27.6-t edition has a 214-ft (65-m) height and a maximum tip capacity of 9.1 t (8.3 mt) at its full 262-ft (80-m) reach. The MDT 809 is also available in 35.3- and 44.1-t (32-and 40-mt) versions.

Find The Right Tower Crane

Visit CraneTrader.com for a broad range of new and used Potain tower cranes for sale. Potain is a Manitowoc brand.

Source: Manitowoc