Tower crane for university construction project

German construction equipment rental company Spira Baugeräte und Schalungslogistik has deployed its new 25 tonne capacity Potain MDT 569 tower crane at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

The crane will lift large elements for the construction of two university buildings in Germany

The crane will lift large, prefabricated elements for the construction of two new laboratory buildings over the next 17 months.

The flat top tower crane has a capacity of 25 tonnes and lifts 4.2 tonnes at the end of the 80 metre jib.

The crane was erected to a hook height of 48.9 metres and equipped with a 60 metre jib, at the end of which it can lift 8.9 tonnes. Customer requirements included being able to lift 15 tonne elements at 35 metres’ radius and 8 tonnes at 60 metres.

The crane was erected in two days using a 400 tonne six-axle Grove GMK6400 mobile crane

The crane was erected in two days using a 400 tonne capacity six-axle Grove GMK6400 wheeled mobile telescopic crane.

Spira said the quick assembly was crucial due to the jobsite’s city centre location and limited space.

“For a week, we meticulously planned the pre-assembly and logistics. The optimised size of the crane components for truck transport convinced us the Potain MDT 569 was the right crane for the job,” said Yves Dupré, joint manager at Spira.

The crane comes with the Manitowoc Crane Control System (CCS), which the company said makes crane set-up easier and faster.

The crane is being used at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany

“The MDT 569 is one of the few topless cranes of this size – and the ease of installation and the ergonomics of the assembly won the Spira management team over,” added brother and joint manager Philippe Dupré.

Spira Baugeräte und Schalungslogistik recently added the new Potain to its rental fleet of 60 self erecting and 50 top slewing cranes.