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Potain tower cranes revamp key DC sites

“This crane and its long reach are crucial for the renovation of Glenstone.”

An 85m boom and a ZY854 cross-shaped base played a key role alongside a Potain MDT 809 tower crane in a US construction renovation project.

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A Potain tower crane has done the task of two in a delicate repair job requiring a larger boom and a brand-new base at a Maryland modern art museum, an American contractor has said.

American-based construction contractor Lenkin Enterprises selected the largest topless tower crane on the US market for two major contracts, one of which was the renovation of the Glenstone museum, which is situated in a meadow with native plants and wild grass.

Lenkin Structural Engineer Michael Lenkin said he had selected the Potain MDT 809 as it could reach most of the perimeter of the building from one spot, thus avoiding the need for two cranes and minimising disturbance to the museum’s landscape.

“I was able to get an 85-m jib for the crane with the capacity my client wanted on a static base, despite having to shoehorn this crane into an alcove at the museum,” Michael said.

“This crane and its long reach are crucial for the renovation of Glenstone,” Michael said.

Michael also used a ZY854 cross-shaped base with the crane, designed to support high working heights, as well as to limit operation costs by dispersing weight evenly in a cross shape.The cross base was supported on pile caps and micropiles to transfer the loads below the museum, with the crane and foundations coordinating carefully with existing buried utilities.

The dynamism of the new base combines with the MDT 809’s hook feature, that includes a lock system that has a 2-part/4-part trolley (SM/DM) and full-time 2-part trolley (SM Pur).

The crane is supported on a ZY854 ballasted cross base on top of the existing building structure.
Image: Manitowoc

Lenkin also rented a second MDT 809 to assist with an overhaul of a 40-year-old office building at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

For this project, Lenkin used the MDT 809 to remove and reset granite-clad precast panels, with estimated weights of 10.8 tonnes.

The company is also setting structural steel and performing demolition tasks in its ongoing work, making full use of the MDT 809’s 60m hook reach with SM/DM trolley and 11.6-tonne tip capacity.

Michael spoke to the effective work of the team and the efficient utilisation of both cranes and the two projects.

“The Potain team and the Manitowoc Lift Solutions division worked hand in hand with me to find the right solution so we could adapt the MDT 809 to meet my needs,” he said.

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