InfraStructures - December 2012/January 2013 - First Manitowoc 16000 with Boom Raising System in the Field - Canada's National Equipment Magazine - Le Magazine d'Équipement National au Canada

First Manitowoc 16000 with Boom Raising System in the Field

In Eastbrook, Maine, U.S., contractor Reed & Reed is using Manitowoc’s new Boom Raising System to install 19 wind energy turbines at the Bull Hill wind farm. The project marks the first time the Boom Raising System has been used on a jobsite. The turbines at Bull Hill are being built on roughly 40,5 ha and are expected to generate enough electricity for about 18,000 homes.

Ron Babb, a crane operator with the Woolwich, Maine-based company reports the new Boom Raising System has not only made its wind turbine installations far more efficient, it has given the company work on a project it may not have otherwise been capable of obtaining or handling.

“This job was a real challenge for us because we moved from 80 m towers up to 95 m towers, so we needed more boom to erect the taller towers,” he said. “Without the Boom Raising System, we would have been forced to rent another crane or would not have been able to even bid on the job.”

The Boom Raising System for the 400 t Manitowoc 16000 Wind Attachment is designed to raise longer boom lengths for wind applications without the need of an assist crane. Pat Defilipp, Reed & Reed’s project manager on the project, says the BRS has made the project easier and the work more efficient.

“For the Bull Hill job, we would have been required to switch to a larger crane, which is expensive. Also, we would have had trouble with the roads not being wide enough for bigger cranes,” he said. “The Boom Raising System has worked extremely well and we haven’t incurred any additional transport or assembly time. It’s been great on this project and we look forward to using it on future projects.”

The Boom Raising System utilizes a large hydraulic cylinder housed in a special 3 m boom insert section that attaches to the boom butt. The boom raising cylinder works in conjunction with the boom hoist by exerting an upward force on the boom. This is achieved by extending the cylinder downward onto prepared ground or matting. Once the boom angle is raised to 38°, the boom hoist fully takes over.

The Boom Raising System allows end users to lift up to 107 m of Wind Attachment Boom plus 7.6 m of Extended Upper Boom Point. The maximum capacity with this configuration at a 20 m operating radius is 87.9 t.

“In the Northeast and in general, turbines are getting taller and taller—the higher the elevation, the higher the wind speeds,” Mr. DePhilipp said. “We have two Manitowoc 16000s that were getting maxed out, but now the Boom Raising System allows us to erect the taller towers. It’s been a great thing for us. The Boom Raising System fills a great niche.”

Reed & Reed purchased the Boom Raising System from Manchester, CT.,-based Shawmut Equipment. The company is a Manitowoc dealer, representing the Grove, Manitowoc, National Crane and Potain brands. It operates across New England, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. It also does business in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Source: The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

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