Barge-mounted MLC300 helps in Illinois bridge replacement
Kraemer North America (Kraemer) is using a Manitowoc MLC300 crawler crane to help replace an 84-year-old truss bridge, the 2,482 ft-long Savanna-Sabula Bridge near Savanna, Illinois. The Illinois DOT hired the Plain, Wisconsin-based company to construct the new bridge, which spans the Mississippi River between Savanna and the island community of Sabula, Iowa.

The company sought consultation from Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental (Dawes), a member of the ALL Family of Companies, about a crane that could be mounted on the tight working quarters of a barge, but still provide high-capacity lifts to great heights to aid in bridge construction.

Dawes suggested the MLC300 crane that could automatically adjust its counterweight to provide greater stability for each lift, all from a smaller footprint than the previous-generation cranes.

?With the VPC, the MLC300 is always finding a new centre of gravity based on the load that?s on the hook,? said Patrick Shea, Project Manager for Kraemer. ?This crane has helped us to achieve almost zero list while working on the barge, keeping every lift level while minimising the barge?s rotation. And the VPC saves space, too?most crawler cranes with the required length of boom would not have fit on the barge in the first place.?

The MLC300 is now erected on a barge in the Mississippi River measuring 70 ft by 195 ft. It?s lifting 76 USt arch rib sections to a height of 165 ft using 295 ft of main boom, all from a 100 ft radius. To meet the lift radius and pick weight requirements on the job, Kraemer?s MLC300 had to be outfitted with its optional VPC-MAX attachment, which enhances the crane?s capacity and enables additional boom and jib length combinations.