NEW CRANE FOR IRELAND'S LEADING STEEL STOCKHOLDERS

A new stockyard crane has been installed by Heiton Steels, the largest Irish owned steel stockholder supplying structural steel sections, plate and rebar.  A radical new design of crane from Street Crane Company, this is the seventh crane from Street to be installed by Heiton.  The new crane will speed loading and unloading and optimise the use of storage space.

Commenting on the installation, Heiton's managing director, John McGeever said, "We have had good performance from Street equipment over a number of years.  Nevertheless, the contract was open to competition from several suppliers.  In the final analysis, Street won the order because they understood our needs and came up with an innovative design that meets them most accurately."

Designed to handle eight tonnes safe working load, and with a nine metre height of lift, the single girder freestanding crane is of a special cantilever construction.  Spanning 21.2 metres between the rails, the main beam on the crane is offset from the support frames and has a cantilevered hoist to keep loads clear of the support legs.  The main beam projects five metres and seven metres beyond the track edge, permitting unimpeded loading and unloading of trucks on either.  The crane also allows efficient use of yard space by eliminating the need for vehicle access between the rails.

The crane will be used to handle universal steel beams and shares the stockyard with an overhead travelling crane.  As the paths for these cranes cross, Street has engineered multi-level safety systems into the project.  A sophisticated anti-collision system recognises when either crane enters the critical area where their paths cross and prevents the other crane entering this zone.  

Radio control of crane movements allows the operator to select a safe position with good visibility from which to control operations.  Floodlights improve visibility in the darker months.  Audible alarms warn of the cranes advance while emergency stops allow the operators to bring the cranes to a quick and safe standstill.

To assist productivity, the new crane has travel speeds of 80 metres per minute in long travel, 30 metres per minute in cross travel and a lift speed of eight metres per minute.  All movements are moderated by frequency inverter for smooth acceleration and deceleration and to assist load stability.  

The crane is fitted with Street's VX4 twin-scrolling open-barrel hoist.  This gives an accurate vertical lift and placement to protect the product from damage by scraping.  It also helps to prolong the hoist and crane life by avoiding any pull to one side.

Street's sales director, Gus Zona commented, "This is an update to a style of crane that was always very popular with steel stockholders, concrete fabrication yards and in other high-turnover storage and manufacturing situations.  This style of crane has not been available for a number of years and by bringing it up to date we are confident that we will attract interest from many industries."   


More information:

John McGeever, Heiton Steels, Tel. O1 459 1000 Fax. 01 459 1406 E-Mail: jmcgeever@heitons.ie Web: www,heitons.ie

Gus Zona, Street Crane Company, Tel. 01298 812456 Fax. 01298 814 945 E-Mail: admin@streetcrane.co.uk Web: www.streetcrane.co.uk

High/low resolution images are on the web at www.ainsmag.co.uk/st165/3928st1a.htm
June 22, 2005