Swiss contractor, Gebr Brun has taken delivery of a new 80 tonne Hitachi Sumitomo SCX800A-3 crawler crane.

The new crane replaces a 50 tonne Hitachi KH180-3, one of four such cranes owned by the company, which also has a 40 tonne Hitachi KH150-3 in its five unit crawler crane fleet. The new crane was sold and delivered local distributor Probst Maveg.

The SCX800A-3 has a maximum main boom of 54.5 metres, and a maximum system length of 63.5 metres with the 18 metre jib option. The new crane went straight to work on a drainage project in Zug, working close to the lake. The company is responsible for foundation engineering work on the construction of five shafts that will be used as access points for a micro tunnelling machine to bore 1.6 and two metre diameter tubes over a distance of 1.8km. 

The crane at work placing piling around one of the shafts

The SCX800A-3 is being utilised as a support machine and for installing, and later removing 5,000 square metres of sheet piling in 26 metre lengths, around the edge of the shafts. The two metre pipeline will be used to drain rainwater in to the lake, while the 1.6 metre pipeline will take water from a point 300 metres offshore to be heated and supplied to local residences. The job is due to be completed by June.

Brun’s director of special foundation works, Daniel Fanger said: “Probst Maveg care about us and our machines and along with Hitachi Sumitomo, they were very close to us during the decision making process. For instance, they answered all of our detailed technical questions in a relatively short period of time.”

“This is a typical job for us and is representative of our main business activity. As our biggest crane, the SCX800A-3 gives us more flexibility than the rest of the fleet, due to the greater distance between the machine and the sheet piles, and the stronger load chart. It is easy to operate and is perfect for our needs, as we wish to use more than one operator. The vibration involved in this job makes it a tough one, especially on the electronics. However, with the customary durability of the new Hitachi Sumitomo, we are counting on a long lifespan. The size of the machine also offers ease of assembly and transportation.”

Credits : vertikal