Concord Richards Bay builds 49m luffer extension on 440T crane
Concord Cranes were proud to be involved in assisting a highly valued client of ours – a world leader in heavy mineral sand extraction and refining, with some essential maintenance work.
Our Concord Cranes Richards Bay team were tasked with building an impressive luffer extension of 49m on our 440T crane. This was a challenging feat that our team executed efficiently and safely.
What was required?
Concord Cranes and our impressive 440T Liebherr crane were ready for action when requested to assist with a critical maintenance operation.. The crane was needed for the company’s first ‘roaster stack change out’ project. Roaster stacks are used by refinery companies to burn crushed materials and thereafter, extract the remaining minerals.
“The roaster stack change out is a critical part of client’s routine maintenance work. The change out is critical to their operation and one which affects the production output of the entire plant” said Bella Mollentze, Concord Cranes Richards Bay Branch Manager.
How did we execute the project?
The Liebherr 440T crane was selected for this specific job based on it’s varying capabilities. The seven-axle LTM 1400-7.1 mobile crane is one of the most compact representatives of its class and extraordinarily maneuverable thanks to its active rear-axle steering. The ballast radius can be significantly reduced for use in constricted areas by moving the counterweight.
The crane was deployed to lift the old stack and replace it with a new one. With the weight of the stack sitting at approximately 15 tonnes and a working of height of close to 90 metres, it was a massive endeavour to say the least. “To reach these heights, the crane was fitted with a 49 metre luffer extension, one of the longest jib extensions ever built on site. It was an intensive job but one that we had no doubt we could perform,” added Bella.
From project start to project completion, the Concord Cranes 440T crane was the star of the show. Bella explains the process in further detail, “As per the client’s specification, the old roaster stack was lifted and placed safely in the laydown area. Once the new stack had been assembled, it was lifted and positioned into place which was done with absolute ease and accuracy.”
The project took a total of 16 days to successfully complete and was executed with professionalism and accuracy. “The Concord Cranes Richards Bay feel very proud to have been involved in a such fundamental project with a highly valued client. The team worked extremely hard to efficiently and accurately execute the job,” says Bella.
For further information on the capabilities of our 440T crane, please contact one of our specialists or read more here