Manitowoc 18000 Crawler Crane Redevelops Part of the NYC Skyline
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April 8, 2015 - In New York City, a Manitowoc 18000 crawler crane has been doing the heavy lifting on the Hudson Yards redevelopment project. The 28-acre mixed-use development, which includes 16 skyscrapers, office, residential, and retail space, has been under construction for 12 years.
The crawler crane has been used to construct the foundation, which is a combination framework and platform built directly over the West Side Yard train hub and storage site for the Long Island Railroad and 34th Street subway station.
During the railyard’s initial construction, space was left between the tracks for columns that could support the platform. Now the Hudson Yards project is making use of these spaces, as the Manitowoc 18000 is placing the columns, girders and other steel components that will comprise a framework on which a platform can be erected. This platform will become the Hudson Yards foundation.
The loads weigh up to 220 tons and require precise placement. The Manitowoc 18000 is sitting on a temporary, reinforced concrete foundation that will be demolished after the crane completes its job. Part of the project involves the installation caisson cores that weigh up to 80 tons and columns that weight up to 140 tons.
Tutor Perini, which is based in Sylmar, Calif., is the main contractor on the project. It leased the crane from Bridgeville, Penn.-based Lomma Crane & Rigging. According to Sal Isola of Lomma Crane & Rigging, Tutor Perini specifically requested this crane after seeing it construct the Transportation Hub at the new World Trade Center. “The company needed this kind of capacity, but since space is very limited on the job site, it would not be able to use a counterweight wagon or any auxiliary attachments,” he added.
Because the Manitowoc 18000 does not require a wagon, there is no need to place crane mats and steel reinforcements on the platform. The crane is kept mobile because additional ground prep isn't not required when the crane is moved.
On site, the crane is rigged with 200 ft. of boom and 100 ft. of fixed mast. It’s set up with full counterweight: 264 tons of upper counterweight and 160 tons of carbody counterweight. No jibs or attachments are needed on the crane for the project.
Lomma leased the crane to Tutor Perini in 2014, and construction is due to wrap up on Hudson Yards in 2024.
