Potain’s MRH 175 tower crane makes its debut at ConExpo

Potain’s MRH 175 tower crane, a hydraulic luffing jib crane, will make its debut at ConExpo 2020, from 10-15 March in Las Vegas.

The cranes focus on easier transport and assembly, as well as improved on-site productivity.

The company plans to showcase the latest in lifting technology for two of the busiest sectors in the built environment: high-rise construction and homebuilding.

The other crane on show will be the Hup M 28-22 that was introduced in 2019 and is making its North American debut, complete with a transport axle for the regional market. The cranes can be found on the Manitowoc booth near the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.

Thibaut Le Besnerais, vice-president of global products for tower cranes at Manitowoc, said, “In recent years under The Manitowoc Way operating system, our product development has accelerated and what’s exciting about this is not only the number of new cranes we’re introducing but the innovation they bring to market.”

“The MRH 175 has the latest hydraulic luffing technology: a design we’ve been championing for the past two years. Meanwhile, the Hup M 28-22 harnesses all the versatility and speed of our Hup cranes but with added mobility. So, at ConExpo customers can get a firsthand look at the latest technology for the high-rise and home building sectors.”

The MRH 175 is the latest release in Potain’s line of hydraulic luffing jib cranes, a product line the company has continuously developed since unveiling the MRH 125 a year ago. Manitowoc has championed this category of cranes, with dozens of models delivered to a range of markets. Combining the advantages of Potain’s MR luffing jib cranes and MDT topless cranes, contractors find them straightforward to assemble and disassemble on congested sites, making them ideal for urban projects, high-rise construction or job sites where space is limited.

Maximum capacity for the MRH 175 is 11 USt (10 tonnes), while the maximum jib length is 180 ft (55 metres). Tip capacity is 1.65 USt (1.5 tonnes) when working with the full 180 ft (55 metres) jib or three USt (2.7 tonnes) if fitted with 164 ft (50 metres) of the jib. Maximum line speed is 705 ft/min (215 metres/min) when working with the high-performance 90HPL25 hoist. The crane’s design, with its fixed counter jib and topless structure, facilitates its trademark fast erection and dismantling, as well as making it more compact for transport, needing four standard containers. The elements weigh under 8.5 USt (7.7 tonnes) and there is a single counter-jib/jib foot package. The topless design means less space is needed on sites where multiple cranes overfly the job site and the hydraulic design means no wire rope installation is needed. Additionally, it means a smaller assist crane is needed for erection as there is no cathead to assemble.

Featuring a shorter counter-jib and out-of-service radius than rope-luffing alternatives

This frees up valuable space on job sites, with the MRH 175 delivering an out-of-service radius of only 33.5 ft (10.2 metres), regardless of jib length. Freestanding heights of up to 206 ft (62.8 metres) are available with the 6.5 ft (two metres) K-mast sections and the crane is also compatible with 5.2 ft (1.6 metres) K-mast sections.

On the hoisting drum, up to 3,136 ft (956 metres) of rope is available with the 90HPL25 winch, allowing users to choose either 1,568 ft (478 metres) in a two-fall configuration with a 5.5 USt (five tonnes) maximum capacity or 784 ft (239 metres) in a four-fall configuration with an 11 USt (10 tonnes) maximum capacity. Luffing the crane from the horizontal to vertical is efficient, taking less than two minutes, delivering optimum productivity on the job site.

“Hydraulic luffing topless cranes have a very strong future in our industry and we’ve been pleased with the uptake over the past two years,” said Le Besnerais. “Potain customers have seen the advantages these new cranes deliver and how they help them achieve a stronger return on investment on their projects. We have a strong technical training program to accompany our new MRH cranes, and the feedback from the market has been very positive.”

Source: Manitowoc