Potain introduces MD 560 B to target infrastructure work

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Pictured is the 40t MD 560 B operating in Madrid.

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Manitowoc has introduced a new crane to its Potain MD product line designed for infrastructure work, such as dams, bridges and other large construction jobs. The new Potain MD 560 B is the largest in the company’s successful MD tower crane range.

The Potain MD 560 B has a 550 tonne-meter rating and is available in 25 t or 40 t versions. The first cranes are already at work, helping with major expansion work at Madrid’s Atocha rail terminal — the largest in the Spanish capital.

Despite being large cranes designed for major projects, the Potain MD 560 B cranes are engineered around Manitowoc’s focus on easier transportation and erection. Ibergruas, the Potain dealer for Spain which supplied the cranes to the Atocha project, was impressed with just how easy it was to rig the cranes.

Diego Jurado, sales manager for Ibergruas, said the company was able to get the cranes working in quick time, despite local restrictions.

“It only took six regular work days to unload 11 trucks, prepare the ground, erect and commission the highest MD 560 B,” he said. “We were really pleased, especially since the site has restricted access and many surrounding electrical lines, and we had to make several mobile crane lifts from long radii. Overall, this new MD crane seems to have much faster and easier erection.”

The prototypes of the new MD 560 B crane are working for main contractor Dragados and both are 25 t versions. The cranes will stay at the job site for 12 months and will eventually reach working heights of around 49 m.

Several design innovations on the MD 560 B make crane erection easier. Platforms on the counterjib are the same as those on the MD 485 B, and Manitowoc’s engineers have re-examined access to make it easier for riggers. The crane has newly designed and improved tie bars on the counterjib and an updated cat head. The tie bars are integrated into the counterjib for faster and safer erection, and each component in the crane has a clearly positioned plate for simple identification.

For assembling the jib, customers have options. Either the jib can be erected and assembled in the air in three pieces or it can be placed as a single piece. If customers choose to assemble the jib in three pieces, it means smaller lifts are required from the mobile crane erecting the MD 560 B. If the jib is lifted in a single piece, then assembly of the jib can be done beforehand, at ground level. Attaching the jib’s tie bars is simple using Potain’s “pear-shaped” hole system, and assembling the tie bars (and the counterjib) is easier with the integrated auxiliary winch.

Jean-Pierre Zaffiro, global product manager for tower cranes, said customers will like the crane’s jib end lift capabilities and its ease of erection.

“This new crane shares many common features with the rest of the MD range,” he said. “We’ve worked hard to make this crane easier and faster to erect and more productive once it’s working. We’ve improved lifting ability, and customers will see a real advantage in the chart, especially making picks at the jib end.”

There is a choice of mechanisms for trolleying and hoisting, depending on configuration of the crane. The RVF 183 Optima+ slewing mechanism is standard and offers smooth, frequency-controlled rotation of the crane. Lifting power comes from the 100 LVF 63 winch in the 25 t version or the new 270 LVF 100 for the 40 t version. The 270 LVF 100 is a 201 kW hoist with a 10 t capacity per line, giving the crane its 40 t maximum when working in four falls of rope.

Lift performances, on average, are improved by over 12 percent in comparison to earlier models, and in some cases are much higher. The crane also offers better tip loads and load curves than its competitors in most configurations. When working with an 80 m jib (as the cranes are on the Madrid project) the 25 t MD 560 B has a 26 percent lift advantage, allowing it to lift 5.4 t at the jib end. And the 40 t version of the MD 560 B working with a 70 m jib can lift 7.5 t at the jib end.

The 25 t version of the MD 560 B sits on 2.45 m x 2.45 m KR849 mast sections. For the 40 t version of the crane, the K850 mast is used, which has the same dimensions as the KR849 but has special reinforcement for lifting larger loads.

All MD 560 B cranes will be equipped with the new Ultra View cab from Potain. The MD range is just below Manitowoc’s MD Maxi range, which is its largest line of tower cranes.

Potain MD 560 B