Manitowoc’s newest self-erecting tower crane, the Potain Igo M 14, made a splash at Batimat 2013 in Paris, France. The 1.8 t capacity crane took center stage on the company’s booth and was praised for its flexible configurations and class-leading 19 m lifting height. Batimat is this year’s largest construction equipment trade show in France and took place November 4 through 8.
The Igo M 14 was first introduced at bauma 2013 in Germany. Since then it has proved very popular at small-scale job sites, particularly in France, as Thibaut Le Besnerais, global product director at Potain, explains:
“The Igo M 14 is the most user-friendly, compact and versatile self-erecting crane we’ve ever made,” he says. “It offers more lifting height than any other crane in the market and 3 m more than our previous model. The crane gives owners the opportunity to work at more projects. There is strong demand for the crane in France with several units already ordered, and we expect the population of Igo M 14s in Europe to continue to increase over the coming months.”
Potain’s Igo M 14 offers a maximum jib radius of 22 m and can lift 0.6 t at jib end. The crane can lift its maximum capacity of 1.8 t out to 9 m.
The Igo M 14 has a number of features designed to make it one of the easiest cranes to erect. It has a remote start generator and permanent ballasts that eliminate set-up hassles, while hydraulic leveling ensures the crane is operating on a horizontal level, even when used on uneven ground.
Compact size is another key focus area for the Igo M 14. The crane has a footprint of just 4 m x 4 m and two counterweight positions – one closer to the mast that reduces swing radius to just 2 m, and one further from the mast to give better lifting capabilities. In both the short and full radius configurations, the Igo M 14 has 5.1 t of counterweight.
Manitowoc is offering two versions of the Igo M 14 – the standard crane plus an adjusted roadable version that is capable of being towed behind a 7.5 t truck.
The roadable version of the Igo M 14 will particularly appeal to customers in Germany, where no special license (other than a standard car driving license) is required to drive vehicles of up to 7.5 t.
In addition, the regular Igo M 14 offers two options for travel. For movement around site, and carrying all equipment, the Igo M 14 can move at speeds of up to 25 km/h. For movement on the highway, the crane can be configured to travel at speeds of up to 80 km/h.