New 35 tonne Humma pick and carry crane

The 35 tonne capacity Humma UV35-25 articulated pick and carry crane is the latest product from Construct Engineering in Australia.

For the new crane, first shown at the CICA conference in late 2010, DRA Group's engineering division used a four section 20.5 metre fully powered boom giving a maximum hook height of 19 m. Its hydraulic powered steering articulated pick and carry concept is well established in Australia. A government approved maximum road speed of 90 km/h helps make this class of crane the most popular in the country by number of units.

Its 35 tonne capacity is available at 1.6 m radius to a 7.5 m hook height, while it will pick 6.5 tonnes at 7 m radius to 19.5 m hook height and 2.2 tonnes at its maximum radius of 17.2 m. A fly jib extends reach to a hook height of 26.3 m.

Power is from a 213 kW Cummins ISC 285 diesel with exhaust brake and it has a fully automatic six-speed Allison transmission with two-speed ZF transfer box. Loadings on the Kessler axles are 11.5 tonnes at the front and 11.8 tonnes at the rear.

Loads can be carried with the boom horizontal, for example, machinery being moved through a factory. When spotting a load the operator can luff or winch up and down, telescope in and out and slew left and right. This slewing ability makes the Humma stand out in the precision placing of machinery, said John Sandstrom at Construct Engineering. With the crane stationary the operator can slew the boom through 84 degrees using the steering wheel. The articulated chassis allows loads to be manoeuvred around corners and into difficult areas.

There are four lifting points on the boom. The 5 tonne two-speed main winch can be reeved with two, four or six falls of rope. A rhino hook on the front of the boom allows short chaining of loads to get through doorways. Two under-boom hook lugs travel in and out with the boom extension system. These hook positions are to allow heavy lifts to be slung close to the front axle for stability while maintaining a low boom luffing angle.

The ability to telescope in and out under load allows the operator to extend the boom, pick up a load then retract it as close as possible to the front of crane, providing greater stability when travelling with load on uneven terrain.

The Humma cranes have air suspension with shock absorbers. On arrival at site the operator dumps air out of front axle air bags which also engages axle lockouts, selects four wheel drive and low range, readying it to operate as a crane.

Perth-based DRA Industries has been manufacturing articulated pick and carry cranes since 1997. It started with the 20 tonne capacity RC2020 model that was recently upgraded to 25 tonnes capacity as the Humma 20-25.