The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

Manitowoc Crane Group, LLC

Hanitowoc Crane Group, Inc.

Terry L Petzold

David J Pech

Michael J Wanek

Terry S Casavant

John M Lanning

Thomas K Becker

Jeffery L Dreger

P Ralph Helm

Art G Zuehlke

A ring-supported lift crane is provided with a counterweight handling system to facilitate repositioning of the crane. The ring-supported crane includes a ring, a crane upper works and a crane lower works, a boom supported on rollers on the ring and a counterweight assembly also supported on rollers on the ring. The counterweight assembly preferably includes a counterweight carrier on which at least one stack of counterweight boxes or units are placed. A counterweight holder is interposed between the at least one stack of counterweight units and the counterweight carrier with a friction reduction device, such as rollers or slider pads, interposed between the counterweight holder and the counterweight carrier. When the ring-supported crane is to be repositioned for a second lift at a construction site, the counterweight holder with the stack of counterweight units is moved off of the counterweight carrier onto a separate counterweight support member, which may be mobile or stationary. This speeds up the relocation process, as the counterweight units do not have to be individually unstacked before the ring and crane can be moved.

Counterweight handling system for ring supported cranes

A connection for connecting a crawler to a carbody of a crane vehicle. The connection employs a vertical pin and a horizontal pin to carry the various forces present during the operation of a crane. The vertical pin allows for the crawler and carbody to be connected or disconnected by pivoting the crawler about the vertical pin.

Carbody to crawler connection

A crane and an attachment comprising a counterweight support beam including a plurality of connected segments movable relative to each other, and having a fore end adapted to be connected to the crane upper works, and an aft end rearward from the rear portion of the upper works. The attachment also includes a moveable counterweight carrier adapted to carry a counterweight when the counterweight is supported thereon. The carrier is mounted on the support beam for movement along the length thereof. The attachment also includes a cylinder for selectively moving the counterweight carrier fore and aft along the beam, landing gear for normally supporting the aft end of the beam on the ground, and a backhitch pendant and a pendant cylinder interconnecting the aft end of the beam and the top of the mast for raising the landing gear from the ground incident to lifting a heavy load from the boom. The support beam is extendable by moving the connected segments relative to each other between a first position, wherein the aft end is spaced from the rear portion of the crane upper works, and a second position, wherein the aft end is spaced further from the rear portion of the crane upper works.

Crane and lift enhancing beam attachment with moveable counterweight

An attachment for increasing the lifting capacity of a crane having a mobile lower works with an upper works including a rear portion rotatably mounted thereon and having a pivotally mounted boom and an upwardly and rearwardly projecting mast carried on the upper works with means for lifting a load from the top of the boom and rigging means interconnecting the top of the boom, the top of the mast and the rear portion of the upper works, including a counterweight support beam detachably connected to the crane upper works and extending rearwardly therefrom, a counterweight assembly including a movable carrier mounted on the support beam for movement along the length thereof, an actuator for selectively moving the counterweight carrier fore and aft along the beam, a leg for normally supporting the trailing end of the beam on the ground, and a rear pendant interconnecting the trailing end of the beam and the top of the mast for raising the leg from the ground incident to lifting a heavy load from the boom.

Lift enhancing beam attachment with movable counterweights

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Kiel, WI, United States of America

Terry L Petzold