These are notes that I am writing to help me learn our industrial history. They are my best understanding, but that does not mean they are a correct understanding.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Crane load testing
I've seen several postings of waterbags and other loads being used to test cranes. I've decided to start saving them in this posting.
Liebherr Crane Fans posted LR 13000 is being tested Alan Shaw: Around 3,400Mt on the hook then! James Rose: Can also be arranged with a massive luffing jib to lift 300 tons up to a hook height of 240m / 800ft. Tony Sorritelli: Interesting they decided on such a steep angle on the upper spreader bar.
Martin Garner Pedersen commented on Liehberr Crane Fans' post On this picture the LR 13000 is equipped with power boom and is test lifting 3750 metric tons. David Whitehead: Martin Garner Pedersen yep. 125% test.
Heavey Cranes posted Liebherr Construction LR 13000 on the test bed [pad].
Headway Technology Sdn Bhd 966837-X posted several photos with the comment: "430T heavy boat lifting crane load test at North Port." This was obviously a test with "water bags."
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Note all of the fire hoses used to fill the bags.
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Looks like it took most of the day to do the testing.
Ben Stalvey posted
Another beast the custom Manitowoc 6000 series 2 from the Nevada Test Site.
Arthur Overdijk posted
Testing of the Manitowoc M1200R ( Hans van Vliet)
Brandon Storie posted Mike LarsonI'm thinking Pat Young or Gary Yealon. Looks like the max-load test for the M1200 RINGER. If I remember correctly, they had to round up a huge load of test weights to get enough for the lift. Was taken sometime in the mid 1990s.zzz
Ben Stalvey posted seven photos with the comment: "Blast from the past The Manitowoc WI test yard. Driving past it now. No boom up in the air it sure isn't the same."
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Bucky Cumberland posted four photos with the comment: "Lil load test today Riley Anderson." Mike WeaverGroup Admin6 bags...impressive Bucky Cumberland#411,000 We were over a bit..... Riley AndersonGroup AdminI love seeing this load test with the rollers floating! 😂 Bucky CumberlandWe had no free board left on barge with 411,000 @76deg, let water out then went 62deg rollers floated more, then 42deg really floated then
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[They must be testing overcapacity to raise the rollers off the ring.]
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[1 degree list.]
Price Reynolds posted two photos with the comment: "I found these will looking up data for a 4600. Manitowoc 4100W Series 2 X-TENDER drawings."
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Jim Browne commented on a posting
[Unfortunately, there was no mention of the test tonnage.]
Ben Stalvey posted
Blast from the past in the Manitowoc WI Test Yard. Manitowoc 4600 ringer being tested.
Ben commented on his posting
Here is a better shot of the 4600 ringer
Ben Stalvey posted
Manitowoc 3900 in heavy lift mode. Kenny Mackay 134t John Adargo The great thing about those old work horses, at least the one I had, a 4100 Vicon, I could pick a max lift boom, swing, hoist and crawl all at the same time. No computer, just experience. Knowing your chart and the weight of the piece. Proper rigging and a good signalman. Go RED.
Cody Low commented on Ben's post
This is our 3900 just got repainted.
Since Ben's link may not be permanent, I saved the photos.
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Manitowoc 31000 Testing
Lynn Blackstock posted
[Testing the 31000 that helped build the new football stadium in Atlanta. This would be in Manitowoc's test yard. The comments are a little contradictory, but the best I can tell is this was a 125% overload test of its maximum capacity with 5.5 million pounds (2750 tons).]
Steve Robinson posted
This one is from a crane blogger site Manitowoc 3100 boom up undergoing testing. To give you an idea of the huge size that’s a manitowoc 2250 300 ton crane in the background.
Roger Krueger posted 12 photos of the 31000 being tested.
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Lynn Blackstock posted 40 photos of the 31000 being tested.
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(new window) (I had to turn the volume waaaay down because I hate heavy metal.)
Manitowoc MLC300 and MLC650 Testing
USACE, Detroit photo Don Paton Could you tell us how much this rig will be lifting at max? U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District The Manitowoc MLC300 has a flexible setup to provide a wide range of diversity to the Detroit District's lifting capabilities. The MLC300's typical configuration includes being set up on a Robishaw Engineering Flexifloat S-70 modular barge giving the Soo Area Office the ability to routinely lift up to 289,600 pounds in addition to performing clamshell bucket work for removal of obstructions on the bottom of the St Marys River. The flexible configuration capabilities of the barge and crane will allow the Soo Area Office to configure for lifts up to a maximum weight of 661,400 pounds.
Ben Stalvey shared
MLC 300 undergoing testing. Vërsåce Cree I hate those water bags...seen one blow up during a test and shock load the hell out of the crane. Thomas Allen Keep it low. Kevin Mitchell Worst invention ever... ya tip crane bag hits floor but ya still got most of weight n over ya go... hate em. Jim Haynie Jr Y'all must not ever had to drag weights around to test cranes if y'all did you would appreciate the water bags. Different strokes for different folks.
Ted Jeske posted Testing the new 685 boom for the 650 Ben StalveyGroup Admin538 ft of main boom it looks like to me. that would be the longest ever offered
[Several people commented that the boom was too high. They were worried about a wind blowing the boom backwards and tipping the crane over. Ted responded that the whole point of testing a crane at the Manatoic test yard is to test the crane at, and even beyond, its limits.]
Ben Stalvey posted
An old shot of a MLC 650 testing in the Manitowoc WI yard. Jim Kratzer 32 parts? [The number of times the cable goes through the block. With the short boom, short radius and big block, I'd say this was a test of the heaviest lift configuration.]
Updates
Two of the four photos posted by Ben Stalvey with the comment: "Does any member on here have some pictures of the massive yellow and black 6000W that is at the Nevada Test Site? Here are the ones I have so far."
[Summarizing some comments: the 6000W S2 could lift 600 tons. The attachment increased the capacity to 1000.]
Ben Stalvey posted
Okay now so who knows the operator in this 4600 series 4? Testing being done in Manitowoc WI along the Manitowoc River. Harvard ChavisMan,,what a job that would be... Getting to work with all the new ones .. different configurations to the max... To me,,,a dream job!!!Rodney Thibodeauxnotice all manitowoc test there cranes over the corner over the tracks, all other manufacturers test in front of tracks , over tracks is not a real working environment, you never put a load over tracks ,what you going to do set load down on tracks, operated crawler cranes for 28 years in offshore platform fabrication yards ,I never picked a load off my tracks and set it back down on tracks ,we always test load in front of tracks ,Arthur ZuehlkeYes. Testing on the corners was not meant to mislead or inflate the capability of the crane. Lots of testing at Manitowoc went beyond the "working environment". Recall structures built over the crawlers to allow lifts nearly up against the rotating frame of the machine. All this was done just to learn what the machine could do in extremes and ID any problems with modeling /design/welds / etc.
Bill Elmore commented on Ben's post
Inspected one today on the shores of the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay , Alaska
Ben Stalvey posted
Testing of a Manitowoc 4600 series 4 in Manitowoc WI Dennis Dorton Great pic using up all the chart and then some. Cecil Douglas Had them on their toes a lot. Great beast. Love um. Frank Keeney Only operated one 4600 lift crane. The others were all draglines. They were a beast.
Ben Stalvey posted
M 250 Xspander the early VPC Max Ben Stalvey The massive M1200R ringer can be seen to the right. Ted FortierBen Stalvey how many were built? One and a half in that pic. Roderick Arpin nice shot of the old test yard,above and to left was assembly/shipping lot for the self erect units - enjoyed watching them load..back in the day.............. Zubert Ferrell Talk about some tail swing on that big girl.... she'll wipe out half the jobsite with that big booty!!!! Lol Chuck ValindZubert Ferrell an engineer hit another engineers motorcycle while first testing in manitowoc.
Testing the two extremes of boom length for the 888.
Ben Stalvey posted two photos with the comment: "Manitowoc 888 with open throat top. Shots taken in 1995."
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290 ft of boom 75,930 lb @ 46
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70 ft boom max load lift of 460,640lbs at 15 degree radius
[The comments indicate that it is probably an 85-degree radius.]
Well it's throwback Thursday everyone. Blast from the past this was taken in December of 1980. Manitowoc Engineering along the peninsula. Maybe some of you employees remember this day. Not everything goes great in the test yard The massive crane in the background is a Manitowoc 7000 and one wrecked Manitowoc 3000.
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Steven Mason commented on Ben's post, cropped
Here it is with 850000 pounds on the hook.
[A 60' platform ringer. This is either Hercules or a similar crane.]
Big Engine posted Amazing! AL.SK350 built by ALE and said to be the world’s largest capacity land based crane, has been rigged for the first time and load tested 5000 tons 💪
Neal Hodges: I estimate at LEAST a million bucks to retrofit and get it up to lift capabilities. As a retired operator I'd have liked that money go to wages and not a vanity project!
lll
Crane US posted JJ Sisson: Phil Georgeff each time the crane relocates, you must repeat the load test.
[I guess they don't provide information like make & model and the weight of the test load because they want to increase the comment count with people asking for that. But what are comments on Facebook worth?]
(new window) Starting at 11:07 they show testing an overload alarm. First they lift the test weights. Then at 11:21, they measure the radius to verify that they have the correct radius for the load being lifted. Then at 11:29, they use their bodies to add additional weight to the load. We see the overload alarm light up at 11:30 a few times as they push the weights down a few times. I always thought of weight sensing and overload alarms as a computer control capability. But this shows they figured out how to do it at least by 1929, Back then, they not only did not have computers, electronics in general would be bleeding edge technology. Or did they invent a mechanical solution to determine radius and weight and "compute" the safety of the lift?
MMO perform Crane Load Test Services in SOUTH AFRICA for davits and rescue boats to assure safe operations of ships loading and handling by performing all load tests at 125% of the rated capacity to ensure that material handling equipment is more than enough for required needs.
MMO perform Crane Load Test Services in SOUTH AFRICA for davits and rescue boats to assure safe operations of ships loading and handling by performing all load tests at 125% of the rated capacity to ensure that material handling equipment is more than enough for required needs.
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