Hydraulic loader crane manufacturer Palfinger has launched its first crane mounted on a crawler chassis at the IAA Commercial Vehicles exhibition in September in Hannover, Germany.
With the crawler crane PCC, Palfinger offers customers a powerful and flexible lifting solution for situations where a truck would normally have to suffice.
“On difficult terrain – for example, when constructing power lines or cable lifts – helicopter transport is normally the only alternative to a truck-mounted crane,” said Michael Hagenauer, Head of Product Division Crawler Cranes, citing one of the typical areas where the new model series is used. “With the PCC, such jobs can be completed safely, efficiently and inexpensively.”
The crawler crane operates well on difficult terrain and steep gradients, and being around 40 centimetres narrower than a conventional truck, it offers new lifting potential in confined areas where an extra centimetre can make all the difference. With a knuckle boom that can be angled upwards, high lifting power and compact dimensions, the PCC is well suited for use in urban areas as well as in the industrial and indoor sector. The crawler allows the crane to be quickly repositioned on construction sites as and when necessary. Another advantage is that the crawler and crane can be controlled, transported and operated separately, which is particularly useful in situations where weight restrictions apply.
The crane module can also propel itself on its own stabilisers without the crawler – a process also known as “shifting”.
According to Palfinger, it is the first crane manufacturer to offer the crane and crawler from a single source. The three modules (crawler, crane and counterweight) are perfectly matched and can be individually combined and operated optimally for a diverse array of tasks.
The PCC has compact dimensions needing a width clearance of between 2 and to 2.2 metres and – minus the crawler – a passenger height of 2.2 to 2.5 metres. Shifting allows the system to be moved through extremely low and confined spaces or be loaded into a container.
The crawler chassis is perfect for off-road use, has high ground clearance and can climb gradients of up to 60 per cent. When the crane is used off-road, depending on the support width, slope gradients of 8° to 20° can be levelled out due to the long and particularly robust support feet. This ensures ultra-high lifting capacities and universal usability, even on difficult terrain.
The Palfinger Crawler Crane PCC is available in three models: the PCC 57.002 has a maximum reach of 29.5 metres, a maximum lifting height of 32 metres and a maximum lifting capacity of 17.9 tonnes. The slightly more powerful model, the PCC 71.002, has a reach of 31.6 metres, a maximum lifting height of 34 metres and a maximum lifting capacity of 19.1 tonnes. The most powerful model is the PCC 115.002, which has a reach of 33.3 metres, a maximum lifting height of 35.8 metres and a lifting capacity of up to 30 tonnes. Numerous pieces of additional equipment such as workman baskets, vacuum lifters, pipe manipulators and grippers are available for all models.
Models PCC 71.002 and PCC 115.002 are available; model PCC 57.002 will be in spring 2019.