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A principal reason for the purchase of the LS-278H crane was not particularly for its lifting ability, but for its reach. We have one girder that is 120' long, 7.5' high, weighs 60,000 pounds and must be set out 90 feet. There's also a lot of heavy hook work on this project. Our pier and abutment formwork requires a crane and operator with very sensitive controls. When our guys ask for a quarter or half an inch, that's exactly what they want," said Superintendent Greg Letourneau.

"That was the situation on this pier. We have to lower the form sections a half at a time once the carpenters give us the word. The first operation is simply to break the gang form loose from the concrete pier cap. Slow steady pressure is the answer here. It’s a matter of gently increasing the pressure; you don't want any jerky motion," said Operator Ralph Rogers.

"There are men working up there on scaffolding and you don't want to endanger them. Then we lowered the big panels with the single whip line and swung 180 degrees to put them down on the ground. At that point, I was working out at 118' radius from the centerpin. We're using regular lay wire rope rather than the non-twist variety because it gives us that little extra safety factor. Besides, we always have at least two tag lines on a lift like this. We don't take chances," added the LS-278H operator.

It was interesting to note that Rogers, a heavy equipment crane operator for years, has worked on three Reed & Reed Link-Belt cranes, including the LS-518 and an LS-218H. Seven years ago, he also taught Jean Marie Burmeister to operate the RTC-8050 that she runs today.

Another task for the new LS-278H is to place concrete for the middle three piers using a three cubic yard Gar-Bro concrete bucket. That's a weight of about 24,000 pounds when fully loaded. The crane will be operated from the land trestle during these procedures. The 278H has its work cut out for it since there are two concrete placements per shaft. Concrete will be supplied by Dragon Products Co. of Augusta.

"We literally had to pick up that 80' X 8' plate girder form for the pier cap a quarter inch at a time in order to strip it and lower it to the ground in two pieces. There was a lower soffit form underneath it and an angle under that that gave us a very limited space to let the jack down on the falsework in order to get that form out of there. We literally had a total of only half an inch to play with. The operator used our new Link-Belt LS-278H hydraulic crane to pick that 24,000 pound form up a quarter inch at a time. That allowed us to ease that form half out without damaging the new concrete. Then he could lower it down, back up, and repeat the process to extract the other form half. That's only the beginning. The operator using that crane is going to do that on three more piers for a total of six lifts," continued Superintendent Greg Letourneau.

"The major difference between the new LS-278H, of course, is that the 518 is a friction crane -- a great machine -- but a friction crane never the less. Our LS-278H is a state-of-the-art hydraulic machine. This crane is an operator's dream. I can sit in it all day and go home at night without feeling fatigued. Originally, the reason I went from the big 518 back to the 218H was that I had knee surgery and couldn't handle the legwork required on the old friction machines. With this new 250-ton Link-Belt with hydraulic controls, everything is done with an easy wrist motion. The cab is a dream, great visibility and easy access. And with the controls configured the way the Link-Belt engineers have done, it’s a smooth -- very smooth -- crane. When the guys up there ask for half an inch, I know that I can give them that with these hydraulics," concluded Ralph Rogers.

Chris Palmer, from Link-Belt distributor CRW Corp., said, "Reed & Reed keeps us on our toes on this job, supporting their LS-418, LS-518 and now the LS-278H. They are really great people to work with."

Link-Belt introduces new 248 HYLAB 5 crawler crane

Lexington, Ky (March 2004) - Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company unveiled the new 248 HYLAB 5 200 Ton (181.44 mt) lattice boom crawler crane that features increased lift capacities, a completely new, roomier cab, a new SML-10 rated load indicator and slab-type counterweights with a new removal system. New also to the 248 H5 is a remote hydraulic oil cooler and more engine horsepower with the new Mitsubishi 6D24-TLA2h (Tier 2) 263 hp (196 kw) diesel engine. The 248 H5 attachment now incorporates bar-type boom pendants that store easily on boom sections.

To maximize value, the 248 H5 comes standard with selectable freefall on front and rear hoists along with an automatic brake mode function. The outstanding lift capacity coupled with the 248’s proven transportability and quick unassisted set-up time makes this one of the most significant crawler cranes ever introduced to the market.

“We’ve made a great crane even better,” says Pat Collins, senior product manager, lattice boom cranes. “The 248 owners’ group will quickly pick up on the features we’ve added to make the 248 H5 stand out in a class all by itself.”

Link-Belt’s HYLAB (HYdraulic LAttice Boom) Series of lattice boom cranes with hydraulic controls was first introduced in 1987 and today has more that 2000 units operating worldwide. Today’s new HYLAB 5 series crane enjoys a legacy of proven customer satisfaction with bulletproof reliability, low operating costs and outstanding productivity. The HYLAB 5’s continue to lead the industry in bringing to market enhanced features that set the standard for crawler crane performance.

A 200 ton crawler crane that self-strips to less than 84,000 pounds

Link-Belt leads the way again in designing transportable, big capacity crawler cranes. The built-in self-stripping features allow the 248 H5 to quickly remove boom, counterweight and tracks unassisted. The remaining upper and carbody plus the 20 ft (6.09 m) base and 10 ft (3.04 m) rigging section weighs less than 84,000 lbs (38 101 kg) and this load can be permitted in all of North America. Individual tracks weigh 36,410 lbs. (16 515 kg) each and are light enough to be combined with boom and jib sections and hauled as legal loads. Modular counterweight pieces are designed to facilitate highway transport when loaded with boom sections. New self storing bar-type pendants for boom support are easily stored on each boom section along with the pins for ease of transport and assembly. The entire "strip down" or "erection" procedure can be accomplished in two hours or less, without a helper crane.

The following features permit quick and easy self-assembly or disassembly:

A new hydraulic counterweight removal system takes the counterweight all the way to the ground.

Hydraulic track drive system requires only quick disconnect hoses to be disconnected before removing side frames--no mechanical drive shafts or couplers.

Hydraulic carbody jacks support the unit during track removal and are designed to raise the carbody to a 44" (111.76 cm) clearance height that allows a lowboy to back under for loading or unloading.

Standard mast or optional 10’ (3.04 m) boom section with sheaves allows machine to load or unload track units and counterweights and boom sections, as well as handling assembly and disassembly of the crane itself.

Superior reach and capacity

The 248 H5 has 280' (85.34 m) of main boom. The 30’ to 100’ (9.14 m to 30.48 m) fixed jib design can be installed as a fixed jib on the conventional boom or as a fixed jib on the luffing jib to optimize the "up and over" capability of this crawler crane. Equipped with the luffer, the 248 H5 is capable of working with 190' (57.91 m) of standard boom, plus 160' (48.77 m) of luffing jib.

Low ground bearing pressure

Link-Belt has chosen a design philosophy that calls for a low center of gravity, a large crawler base, wide shoes and a variety of counterweight options. The 28' 6" (8.69 m) long by 23' 6" (7.16 m) wide lower with 44" (111.76 cm) track shoes, coupled with 92,000 lbs. (41 731 kg) of standard counterweight, results in capacities that are very competitive. The resulting ground bearing pressure, 11 psi, is extremely low and is 30% lower than its closest competition

Field proven hydraulic power flow system

The upper design incorporates Link-Belt's proven state-of-the-art variable displacement hydraulic power system first introduced with the HYLAB crawler cranes in 1987. With this system, load hoist and lowering speeds are directly proportional to hoist lever movement. Boom hoist speed is controlled in a similar manner.

Independent speed control of each function gives unprecedented ability to spot and place loads. In addition, Link-Belt's exclusive "fine inching control" mode can be selected for ultra-precise work. True gravity freefall combined with maximum line speeds in excess of 550 fpm (168 m/min) are available for high-speed crane work. Hoist drums are extra wide and have a large diameter to provide more than adequate rope storage for crane operation. Parallel grooved laggings allow even spooling of the cable.

Selectable automatic drum brakes are an integral part of the hoist drum system; they are automatically applied whenever the hoist control levers are placed in the neutral position. For faster cycle times and increased productivity, the automatic brake system can be switched off and the machine operated in the freefall mode. Controlled by foot pedals, the large drum brakes are designed for steel erection, pile driving, concrete bucket handling and other high-speed work, yet are still smooth enough to ensure precise placement of the load.

Meets OSHA requirements for personnel handling

The 248 H5 was designed to meet OSHA Ruling 29 CFR (October 3, 1988 and April 18, 1989) regarding anti-two block and automatic brake systems on cranes used to handle personnel. This ruling states that "any cranes or derricks which are used to hoist personnel shall be equipped with a device which prevents the load hook block from contacting the boom tip." All HYLAB cranes including the new 248 H5 feature anti-two block systems as standard equipment. When activated, this device automatically and smoothly disengages the hoist function, applies the main hoist brake and activates a warning buzzer to alert the operator.

Another standard feature of the 248 H5 is the SML-10 rated capacity limiter (RCL). Using various sensing devices, the SML-10 monitors lift functions and provides a continuous reading of the crane’s rated capacity. The readings continuously change as the crane moves through the lift. These readings include information concerning certain geometrical data such as main boom angle, jib angle, radius, weight of the load on the hook.

More standard features

Other standard features of the 248 H5 include high capacity BTU heating and cooling, new wider, bigger cab, a new Mitsubishi 6D24-TLA2h (Tier 2) 263 hp (196 kw) diesel engine, an audio-visual swing alarm, pilot operated hydraulic controls, hydraulic carbody jacks, and oil filled and sealed track rollers.