Universal Cranes recently took delivery of a 25-tonne capacity Kato city crane from National Distributor Tutt Bryant Equipment. The addition of the 25-tonne Kato to the Universal fleet enables the company to continue providing customers with the right crane for the job, whether that be a mini crane, large all-terrain or anything in between.
Universal had a gap in the Brisbane slew crane fleet between its 13t Kato city crane and 35t All Terrain. The 25t Kato was a perfect fit to fill this gap and complement the rest of the fleet. The crane is particularly well suited to limited spaces and constrained building and construction sites in the general hire market.
This is Universal Cranes’ first experience with Tutt Bryant Equipment as the National Distributor for Kato, and it proved to be a positive one during the sales process.
Tutt Bryant and crane sub-contractor MSCM worked together to prepare the crane to customer expectations – including the repainting of the Kato to reflect the Universal Cranes’ iconic yellow colour prior to delivery.
Its operators have given feedback that the new Kato CR250-RV has been performing exceptionally well – being very smooth to operate and equipped with great visibility, with its 360-degree surround view camera and detection assist.
The CR-250Rv is the flagship of the Kato city crane range, complementing the CR-200Ri and the CR-130Ri, and is the largest two axle city crane available on the Australian market.
Featuring several significant changes to meet Australian requirements (including EN13000), the new CR-250Rv is turning heads following its arrival Down Under, taking the Kato city crane range to a whole new level.
The focus with this model is on strength, technology, safety, speed of operation and ease of operation in small spaces.
The CR-250RV crane is supported with a full Kato factory warranty and national support through Tutt Bryant Equipment’s extensive service and spare parts network.
New jibs
The CR-250Rv features a new boom and jib, “EJIB” which is designed for deployment in very narrow spaces. It is the first CR model mobile crane equipped with the EJIB which is based on the Kato 4S concept.
A Kato Super Luffing Fly Jib has also been fitted as standard to the CR-250Rv, previously having only been available on the 35t city crane (Japanese domestic model).
Bringing the CR-250Rv’s maximum rated lifting height, boom plus jib, to 38.4m, the fly jib hydraulically telescopes from 5.3m to 8.2m and can be mounted within a 5.7m area from the slew centre.
It is fully powered and can telescope and offset under 100 per cent load.
The hydraulic luffing and telescoping fly takes a single operator 10 minutes to set up and another 10 to ‘swing’.
Ordinarily an operator would be looking at two workers for a great deal longer to swing a standard luffing fly because everything is manual.
Ergonomic cab
The cab impresses with an all-round excellent field of view and provides outstanding operator comfort due to its hydro-pneumatic suspension. Furthermore, it has a built-in IC tag providing high-level security, therefore reducing the risk of crane theft.
There are a number of important safety features included on the CR-250Rv.
The Kato Automatic Crane System (ACS) is an automatic safety device feature that instantly responds to any direct changes in various operating configurations, with a range of limiting functions that increase safety during operation.
With its high-intensity colour LCD, the new ACS makes operations easier as it provides illustrated key switches, enabling quick identification of its functions for each operation.
The Kato CR-250Rv has several advanced safety features that enhance safety during driving or crane operation, thereby minimising the risk of incidents.
The touch-screen display and data logger provides a range of functions which include the ECO switch, which saves fuel by adjusting for optimum work engine speed during crane operation. During non-operation, the hydraulic pump outlet and fuel consumption are also greatly reduced thanks to the Auto-Minimum-Control adoption.
The screen is massive, giving the operator terrific all-round vision of the site. In my opinion this crane really is the next level for the city class cranes, as most models haven’t changed in such a long time. The CR-250Rv really is a quantum leap forward in terms of operator confidence, comfort and safety.
Optional Features
The two positional offset Searcher Hook is a breakthrough feature for inserting operations. This feature performs best where the height is limited including applications featuring warehouses, balconies and soffits.
Other optional features include an anemometer, tyre pressure monitoring system, door visor, lunch table, resin/aluminium outrigger plate and storage and remote-control camera cleaner.
Universal Cranes continues to upgrade and expand its fleet to meet the growing demands across all its branches. While the new 25t city crane fills a gap and complements the rest of the fleet, the company remains committed to investing in its fleet to provide its customers with the best crane for any lift, anywhere, any time.
Despite having only had the new Kato city crane for a short time, Universal Cranes has already planned several lifts that are particularly challenging and can only be accomplished using this crane.
These include lifts at space-limited construction sites in the city and mid-rise buildings in the inner suburbs.
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