Potain Launches MRH 175 Hydraulic Luffing-Jib Tower Crane
Feb. 19, 2020 -- Potain has launched its MRH 175 tower crane, a new hydraulic luffing jib crane that will make its debut at ConExpo 2020.
At the show, Potain plans to showcase the latest in lifting technology for high-rise construction and homebuilding, two of the busiest sectors in the construction industry.
Thibaut Le Besnerais, vice president of global products for tower cranes at Manitowoc, said the new crane features designs that offer capabilities not available from other cranes.
“In recent years, under The Manitowoc Way operating system, our product development has accelerated and what’s exciting about this is not only the number of new cranes we’re introducing, but the innovation they bring to market,” he said. “The MRH 175 has our latest hydraulic luffing technology, a design we’ve been championing for the past two years.”
The MRH 175 is the latest release in Potain’s line of hydraulic luffing jib cranes, a product line the company has developed continuously since unveiling the MRH 125 a year ago.
Manitowoc has championed this category of cranes, with dozens already delivered to a range of markets. MRH cranes combine the advantages of Potain’s MR luffing jib cranes and MDT topless cranes. Contractors find them particularly straightforward to assemble and disassemble on congested sites, making them ideal for urban projects, high-rise construction, or job sites where space is limited, said the company.
Maximum capacity for the MRH 175 is 11 U.S. tons. Maximum jib length is 180’. Jib-tip capacity is 1.65 U.S. tons when working with the full 180’ jib, or 3 U.S. tons when fitted with 164’ jib. Maximum line speed is 705 fpm when working with the high-performance 90HPL25 hoist.
The crane fixed counter jib and topless structure facilitate fast erection and dismantling. They also make it more compact. It transports in only four standard containers. The components weigh less than 8.5 U.S. tons, and the counter-jib/jib foot transports as a single package.
The topless design also means less space is needed on sites where multiple cranes overfly the job site, and the hydraulic design eliminates the need for wire rope installation. It also allows using a smaller assist crane for erection, as there is no cathead to assemble.
Potain’s hydraulic luffing design features a shorter counter-jib and out-of-service radius than rope-luffing alternatives. That MRH 175 delivers an out-of-service radius of only 33.5’ regardless of jib length. Freestanding heights of up to 206’ are available with the 6.5’ K-mast sections, and the crane is also compatible with 5.2’ K-mast sections.
On the hoisting drum, up to 3,136’ of rope is available with the 90HPL25 winch. That allows users to choose either 1,568’ in two-fall configuration with 5.5 U.S.-ton maximum capacity or 784’ in four-fall configuration with 11 U.S.-ton maximum capacity.
Luffing the jib from horizontal to vertical takes less than two minutes.
“Hydraulic luffing topless cranes have a very strong future in our industry, and we’ve been pleased with the uptake over the past two years,” said Le Besnerais. “Potain customers have seen the advantages these new cranes deliver and how they help them achieve a stronger return on investment on their projects. We have a strong technical training program to accompany our new MRH cranes, and the feedback from the market has been very positive.”
