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Terex Cranes Global Marketing
Press & Public Relations
E-mail: info.cranes@terex.com
TEREX® AC 350/6 LIFTS HEAVY FIVE-SECTION STEEL FOOTBRIDGE
WITH KING LIFTING LTD
Reading, Berkshire, UK, August 17th, 2011 – A Terex AC 350/6 all terrain crane was used by King Lifting Ltd., UK to lift and place a footbridge for the Reading Festival in Berkshire, UK.
Over the past 30 years, the Reading Festival has become somewhat of a tradition on the UK music scene. Drawing thousands of rock fans from around the country and abroad, the festival takes place each year well-away from the city, on a vast area of isolated farmland. King Lifting carried out the challenging task of assembling, lifting and placing a 23-tonne, 5-section, 40-meter long temporary steel footbridge at this particularly rural location using their Terex AC 350/6, AC 40/2L and AC 60/3L all terrain cranes. The company also dismantled the bridge following the three-day event.
“At King Lifting we operate a fleet of over 100 cranes of which 54 are Terex models. Last year’s purchase of an AC 350/6 has proved to be a great bonus to our business. Its compact dimensions and powerful lifting capacity are suited to a broad field of applications, particularly when it comes to lifting heavy loads in tight spaces,” says Tristan King, Commercial Director, King Lifting Ltd.
Arriving directly from King Lifting’s West London depot, the three cranes, and the support vehicles carrying the separate bridge sections, were easily driven off the main road, across the fields via a pre-laid 500-meter trackway, and down to the riverbank where the bridge was to be erected. A concrete-based area cast with steel cross-sections provided a sturdy support for the cranes’ outrigger jacks supporting the heavy load during the seven-day job.
The first six days were dedicated to assembly using the AC 40/2L and AC 60/3L. The cranes’ excellent mobility, short telescoping times and easy-to-operate counterweight unloading system played an essential role in carrying the bridge’s individual 5-tonne sections and placing them in precisely the required position, and securing the sections together one by one according to schedule.
By day seven, the bridge was fully assembled to its final 40-meter span, and the AC 350/6 was configured using 116.6-tonne counterweight and 54.2-meter main boom with Superlift attachment at 28-meter radius, ready to lift the 23-tonne steel footbridge into position across the river.
The AC 350/6 provided the perfect solution as Tristan explains, “Trees are part of the charm of the British countryside and a major cause of obstruction in our job. Working up close to the riverbank with such a wide-spreading load was also a very challenging situation. The short turning radius of the AC 350/6’s 6-axle carrier and IC-1 controls provided the precision we needed to access and manoeuvre comfortably and safely under such a heavy weight in a very restricted area. We completed the job at night under floodlights,” says King.
King Lifting’s purchase of an AC 350/6 last year has recently been followed by the acquisition of another seven Terex cranes, including three AC 60/3L plus four AC 40/2L all terrain models which feature a market-leading 37.4-meter main boom.
As Tristan remarks, King Lifting and Terex Cranes have a great deal in common when it comes to how they approach their business. “We pride ourselves in providing outstanding customer service and a versatile fleet of high-quality cranes adapted to our customers’ needs. This is something that we share with the Terex team who has provided us with great cranes and excellent after-sales support in a constructive working relationship for the past 25 years.”
About King Lifting Ltd.
King Lifting operates a modern fleet of over 100 all terrain, tower and crawler cranes with capacities ranging from 8 tonnes upwards. All the company’s machines are operated by CPCS qualified and competent personnel, ensuring the ability to tackle all types of lifting, regardless of restricted access or stringent timetables. King Lifting operates through eight branches located throughout the UK. More information on King Lifting Ltd, can be found at www.kinglifting.co.uk.
About the TEREX® AC 350/6
With a total length of only 16.7 (54.8 ft) meters, the AC 350/6 is the smallest 6-axle and most compact mobile crane in the 350-tonne (386 US ton) capacity class. This jack-of-all-trades can be used throughout an extraordinarily wide range: in the class of less than 220 tonnes (242 US tons), with a partial counterweight, as an alternative to medium and large 5-axle mobile cranes. In the 200 – 350 tonne (220 – 386 US ton) range, it is by far the most powerful crane of its class at this time, both regarding its main boom and its different extensions. Even jobs for a 400-tonne (440 US ton) capacity class crane can be taken on with this machine - a territory that usually belongs to much larger cranes. The AC 350/6 reaches, for example, the performance figures of a 400-tonne (440 US ton) class mobile crane with its extraordinarily large lifting capacity, with a telescoped boom length of 64m (210 ft), or with its impressive maximum system length of 125.7m (412.4 ft).
A compact chassis and speed-dependent rear axle steering enable the crane to work within a remarkably small turning radius. In addition, the fact that the AC 350/6 is the only 350-tonne (386 US ton) capacity class unit with a front overhang shorter than two meters (6.6 ft) means that it can be operated without additional escort personnel in a number of countries.
Additional attachments, whether required or optional, can be loaded onto conventional trucks within a width of 2.55 m (8.4 ft).
About Terex
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer operating in four business segments: Terex Aerial Work Platforms, Terex Construction, Terex Cranes, and Terex Materials Processing. Terex manufactures a broad range of equipment for use in various industries, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, energy, refining, and utility industries. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of Terex equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information on Terex can be found at www.terex.com.
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