Marine Repair Company Takes Delivery of Manitowoc 14000

Enlarge Image National Maintenance & Repair uses a Manitowoc 14000 to lift vessels and engines.

June 15, 2011—At its Hartford, Ill., facility, National Maintenance & Repair, operates seven dry docks, machine and fabrication shops, as well as wheel, engine and gas-free cleaning facilities. The company is one of only a few full-service marine repair facilities in the country, handling 200 to 250 repairs a year. One of its specialties is crane barges.

 

The company recently purchased a Manitowoc 14000 crawler crane from Kirby-Smith Machinery, based in Oklahoma City, Okla., to be used at the Hartford repair facility. “Capacity was our foremost consideration when we started looking for a new crane about three years ago,” said Dale Cathorall, vice president of the Hull Group for National Maintenance & Repair. “It also needed a large working radius.”

 

Jobs often entail lifting engines that weigh as much as 50,000 pounds, as well as lifting entire vessels out of the water and moving them into the fabrication shop, located 60 feet from the water. Additional considerations were reliability and efficiency. Matthew Braundmeier, Hull manager, noted that the crane’s modulating electronic-over-hydraulic controls contribute to its efficiency. “As an example, when we take an engine out of a vessel, we have to cut the deck and stacks off first and lift those out of the way before pulling the engine out. It’s a big operation that in the past took several days. With the 14000, we can get it done in one. The time is cut at least in half in most cases, and more in others.”

 

Kirby-Smith assembled the crane for National Maintenance & Repair when it was delivered and will provide ongoing inspections for the customer as well.