Construction News

Fri April 26 2024

Related Information

London debut for Moritsch's oil-free crane

26 Feb 21 Italian tower crane manufacturer Moritsch Cranes has produced a new luffing jib crane that achieves a narrow out-of-service radius without the potential mess of any hydraulic oil.

The Moritsch RTL 195 luffing jib tower crane
The Moritsch RTL 195 luffing jib tower crane

“The only oil we use is for Bruschetta” is how Mariano Moritsch, the man behind the crane, promotes the new RTL 195.

The Moritsch RTL 195 is an oil-free luffing jib crane that relies on a patented mechanical solution to achieve an eight-metre out-of-service radius with a 55-metre jib. Maximum lifting capacity is 16 tonnes.

Moritsch Cranes said that the first unit will be will be erected in London on 6th March by HG Construction. HG Construction contributed to the development of the new model and supported Moritsch Cranes with an initial order of five units. Heathrow Cranes, a partner of Moritsch Cranes in the UK, has an order of four units.

Hydraulic luffing jib cranes have become popular on UK construction sites since German crane designer Franc Jost introduce his design at the 2001 Bauma Fair. They provide an effective way of minimising out of service jib radius, avoiding over-sailing neighbouring property.

But Moritsch – a name equally associated with tower crane design innovation – has taken a different approach.

Sales director Mauro Masetti explained: “When we too began to evaluate this possibility we wondered if it really was the best solution to meet the real needs of customers, or rather this had become a trend that everyone wanted to follow.

“We compared the only advantage of hydraulic luffing jib cranes, reduced out of service radius, with the main disadvantages, such as oil leakages, a general complicated maintenance (in particular that of the hoist winch, often positioned in the luffed boom) and above all the size limitations that engineers encounter when designing large hydraulic luffing jib cranes, as hydraulic units would become too complicated and expensive.”

He continued: “All hydraulic luffing jib cranes stand in the range between 6 tonnes and 12 tonnes maximum load capacities, while the construction industry is increasingly turning to precast and requires greater lifting capacities.

Related Information

“We at Moritsch Cranes, strengthened by over 30 years’ experience on luffing jib cranes and knowledge of the UK market, have devised a solution that would eliminate all the problems associated with the use of hydraulic systems and that would not place any limits in the creation of models of any size.

“The RTL 195 is a traditional luffing jib crane with 16 tonnes maximum load capacity that, thanks to a patented mechanical jib locking device, allows you to park the jib at 82° for any jib length, leading to a maximum out of service radius of eight metres when jib is 55 metres.”

Moritsch plans to introduce this mechanical system on more sizes of luffing jib cranes in due course.

The video here shows more.

 

.

The promotional material features Mariano Moritsch himself showing what oil should really be used for.

Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk

MPU
MPU

Click here to view latest construction news »