Take A Look At Those Counterweights!
Posted by Weiss Bros on 6th Jan 2018
Heavy lifting is one of the many things that cranes can do very well. With tons of steel constructed in such a way that makes lifting some of the heaviest loads in the world, cranes have become the go to equipment for huge construction projects. While digging through the latest crane news, I came across an article that outlined a company poised to take on those heavy crane loads.
Just a few months ago, Sarens revealed the second SGC 140 crane at the Port of Gent in Belgium. Take a look at these pictures to see how engineering and steel can create a powerful crane. The crane was erected in Belgium before being shipping to Kazakhstan for a 3-year long project in the oil fields. The SGC 140 is the older brother of the SGC 120 and can lift more to a longer radius.
These two cranes are just the beginning as Sarens has plans on the drawing board to bring another, huge crane to their arsenal. The SGC 250 is going to be ready for work in 2019 and will be able to lift even more than the two previous models. The company is not going to stop there and has plans to build a smaller SGC 90 for the little projects around the world.
On to the counterweights. Just like the heavy lift cranes that we have in the store, the Sarens rely on counterweights to keep the crane balanced while assisting in the overall lift of whatever loads it is moving. There are 40, specially designed corrugated steel containers that make up the counterweights and can hold up to 100 tons of local material, each.
8 winches, 6 power packs and the operator cable make up the machinery deck. As you can see in the photo, the shipping containers are lined up along the back of the deck and when not in use, can be emptied and used to store crane parts when you need to ship this crane to another location. A ring that measures more than 40 meters wide holds 96 wheels to keep the crane moving in all directions during the project.
Cranes are huge and they can get a lot more work done compared to doing the work with regular manpower. The overall crane industry is growing as construction projects seem to be getting larger with each passing year.