PICKING IN THE PANHANDLE

There’s been a healthcare construction boom in Florida’s panhandle that continues with construction of a new 100-bed hospital in Panama City. ALL Crane Rental of Alabama, a member of the ALL Family of Companies, is providing heavy lift equipment to general contractor Robins & Morton. Four lattice boom crawler cranes, with capacities ranging from 110 tons all the way up to 660 tons, will be performing a variety of functions throughout the building process.

Three of the machines are already on-site. They include a 660-ton Manitowoc 18000, a 220-ton Manitowoc 14000, and a 110-ton Link-Belt LS218HSL. The Manitowoc 18000 and Link-Belt LS218HSL are working as a team to set concrete tilt wall panels, some of which tip the scales at nearly 250,000 pounds.

The panels are poured in casting beds all around the jobsite as the two cranes work to lift them from the ground, tilt, and set them.

“These are the largest tilt walls I’ve ever seen,” said Scott Swearengin, sales representative from ALL Crane Rental of Alabama. “They stand four stories high, or approximately 82 feet, and vary in width from 17 to 20 feet.”

The larger Manitowoc 18000 is configured with 220 feet of main boom while the Link Belt LS218HSL has 160 feet of main boom and 45 feet of fixed jib offset at 25 degrees. “The LS218HSL follows the 18000 and helps set the tilt-panel braces into position,” said Swearengin. “This is how the first four floors of the building will be constructed.” The smaller crane will also be performing picks that can be achieved at a shorter radius.

The Manitowoc 14000, meanwhile, is assisting with concrete pours and helping to construct elevator shafts, lifting personnel in man baskets, and performing miscellaneous other lifts. It is configured with 154 feet of main boom, 150 feet of luffing jib, and outfitted with block and ball.

In early fall, a second Manitowoc 14000 will be delivered to set panels for the fifth floor and walls.

“The long reach on the 14000 meets the customer plan to consistently pick a certain weight at a certain radius while achieving appropriate load chart levels, while still being able to perform several picks of 13,000 pounds at a 150-foot radius,” said Swearengin. “It’s a similar story with the 18000, which can perform the required lifts—topping out at nearly 250,000 pounds at a 90-foot radius—while remaining well within the load chart.”

The 110-ton crane was selected for chart capacities and distance of reach, as its primary purpose is to follow the 18000 and assist with setting the braces for the tilt panels.

ALL is sourcing the mix of cranes from its yards throughout the southeast including Atlanta, Tampa, and Mobile, Ala.

Swearengin credits ALL’s trucking and logistics department with making sure all equipment was delivered to the site on time. “The 18000 and LS218HSL both had to arrive during the same week,” said Swearengin. “That’s 31 truckloads for the 18000 and another six truckloads for the 218. Plus, we needed a 350-ton Grove GMK 6300L-1 as assist crane to help build the 18000.”