Universal Cranes sends Manitowoc 16000 to Port of Brisbane bridge project in Australia

• Crane positions 17 girders weighing up to 140 t each to build two bridge spans on a major Australian infrastructure project.
• To manage the heavy loads the crane was equipped with its MAX-ER capacity-enhancing attachment.

The Port of Brisbane’s Port Drive Upgrade Project called in lifting specialist Universal Cranes to handle the placement of 17 girders for the duplication of Lucinda Drive Bridge on Fisherman Island Queensland Australia.

Universal Cranes selected its Manitowoc 16000 crawler crane for the job fitting it with the capacity-enhancing MAX-ER attachment to give it the power and reach required for the heavy-duty work.

Nicolas Navarrete project manager at Universal Cranes said the 16000 ensured work completed swiftly and efficiently.

“Placing the girders with the 16000 was relatively simple and the crane performed perfectly ” he said. “The challenging part of this job was coordinating the delivery of the girders to the job site and ensuring we could handle the work within the relatively short time constraints of the project.”  

All 17 girders were positioned inside a one month timeframe. The time saved by using the 16000 with MAX-ER was important as transportation of the girders was already taking a significant amount of time. Only one could be transported per night because of their size and weight.

There were two girder sizes one weighing 64 t and the other 138.5 t. Installation took an average of 45 minutes with some placements relatively straightforward but others needing more careful planning owing to their positioning over live rail tracks. The efficiency of the lifts was aided by the use of a spreader bar which divided the load evenly across the girder. For the heavier girders the lifting radius was 29.4 m while for the lighter girders it was pushed out to 56 m.

“Our MAX-ER is a cost-effective way of increasing the 16000’s base capacity ” said John Stewart vice president and general manager for Manitowoc in Australia. “It eliminates the time and expense of transporting and setting up a larger crane ”

The Model 16000 has a maximum capacity of 400 t and can accommodate up to 96 m of main boom. Up to 42.7 m of fixed jib or 84 m of luffing jib is also available for the crane. For the job Universal Cranes configured the 16000 with 54 m of main boom and 437 t of counterweight including the MAX-ER attachment.

Work on the Lucinda Drive Bridge is part of an US$86 million upgrade to the Port of Brisbane’s Port Drive and the surrounding road network. The upgrading works are scheduled for completion in mid-2018.

Universal Cranes was established in 1993 and remains a family-owned and -operated crane rental business. Today it is one of Australia’s leading crane suppliers with locations throughout Queensland and New South Wales.