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Justice Served
New Terex® RT 670 Rough Terrain crane keeps justice center project on track
WAVERLY, IOWA, April 27th, 2012 – When the last justice center in Bucks County, Pa. was built, the county’s population was only 310,000, and there were four judges to handle the case load. Today, this county located northeast of Philadelphia has more than 625,000 residents, and 13 judges. Construction of a new, modern justice center to handle all of the legal activities is well past due.
County officials broke ground on the $84 million Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown on July 19, 2011. When the time came for general contractor Ernest Bock and Sons of Philadelphia to subcontract the building’s 11,000 yd3 of concrete work, one company was at the top of the list: Carson Concrete Corporation of Boothwyn, Pa.
“The project requires 1,100 ready mix trucks delivering concrete for the footings, walls and 300,000 ft2 of floors,” says Anthony Samango, vice president of Carson Concrete Corp. “We will also use 500 US tons of reinforcing steel.”
With vast experience, Carson is no stranger to high-profile commercial concrete projects. The contractor helped to construct the Philadelphia Phillies baseball stadium, and its crews completed the concrete frame work of the 50-story St. James Place apartment complex in Philadelphia. “Since 1977, we’ve completed more than 800 jobs, poured millions of yards of concrete, set 30,000,000 ft2 of formwork and placed 100,000 US tons of rebar,” says Samango.
Heart and Soul
Securing the new justice center project meant Carson needed a new crane. Company officials were looking for a rugged and reliable crane that would efficiently handle numerous picks every day of the project, from start to finish.
Since the crane would be operating on an undeveloped site, Carson ruled out truck and crawler cranes, preferring the rough terrain crane design. “Truck cranes are better rental units, used for a one-day job at a developed site,” Samango says. Tom Limbach, sales training manager for Terex Cranes, adds, “Truck cranes may not be designed for consistent use on undeveloped sites and lattice-boom crawlers do not offer the flexibility of a telescopic boom found on a hydraulic crane. You have to remove sections of a lattice–boom crawler crane’s boom to change the length, which is inconvenient on a confined site.”
Bottom line, Carson needed a reliable rough terrain crane to work at the site. “We were looking for a utility crane that moves all day, every day,” says Samango. “The crane must lift and place formwork, reinforcing steel and concrete, virtually anything we need it to.”
A recent change in Pennsylvania’s regulations for crane operation meant the 70-US ton Terex RT670 Rough Terrain crane was the right choice. Prior to May of 2011, any crane over a 40-US ton capacity required two workers for crane operation. After this time, regulations were updated which moved the benchmark to 80 US tons. This gave Carson the option of choosing a much higher capacity crane to complete the justice center project.
During the purchasing process, Samango visited the Terex rough terrain crane manufacturing facility in Waverly, Iowa. He met with Limbach and Tony Marlin, eastern sales director for Terex Cranes, to discuss his options. He watched the line as Terex team members built the RT670 rough terrain crane and operated one himself.
“The RT670 met all the specs we needed, and it was the largest rough terrain crane we could operate with one person,” explains Samango. So Carson bought the RT670 initially for the justice center project and then for future applications of a similar nature. “Terex has been great to work with,” he adds.
Big Crane Features
Used for fast-paced, heavy-duty lifting to support the concrete construction efforts, the Terex RT670 Rough Terrain crane will be at the Bucks County Justice Center jobsite for nearly four months. Carson’s operators have it set up with a two-part line. The crane’s 111-ft telescopic main boom offers plenty of length for lifting to support the concrete work on the 9-story building. When the need arises in the future, the available 57-ft offsettable jib offers a 170-ft maximum tip height.
The RT670 boasts the same undercarriage of the larger 80-ton Terex RT780 Rough Terrain crane. This gives the RT670 a heavier undercarriage and a wider, 24-ft fully extended outrigger footprint than similar class models, which assists with setting the large wall panels. “The 80-ton undercarriage provides a stable platform and rock-solid lifting performance for Carson’s crane operator,” says Limbach.
Powered by a 215 hp Tier 4 interim (Stage IIIB) compliant diesel engine (with an optional Tier 3/Stage III engine available for markets not using ultralow sulfur diesel fuel), the RT670 features three independent hydraulic pumping systems. This affords simultaneous operation of crane functions – including lifting and slewing – without losing performance.
Electro proportional joystick control – unique to Terex on this size of crane – takes the heat generated by hydraulic controls out of the cab. Additionally, lever effort for crane movement is minimal, and lever response is unaffected by ambient temperature change.
“Our operators also like the dual (axis) joystick feature of the RT670,” says Samango. Limbach explains, “Most cranes in this class have two single-axis levers, one for fore and aft movement and another for side to side. The RT670’s responsive controls combine both functions into a single joystick, providing easy operation.”
This helps to improve lift efficiency at the justice center jobsite, especially when working with the formwork for the walls. These forms are constructed of 9-ft square panels consisting of plywood and steel. The panels are maneuvered, clamped together and lifted into position with the RT670.
For this project, the wall panels reach a height of 35 feet. With its 70-ton rated capacity, the RT670 gives Carson’s crew plenty of options for working with large panel sizes. “We can pick larger, heavier items with the 70-ton crane, which would have to be otherwise broken up into multiple picks with a smaller crane,” mentions Samango. “The RT670 allows us to make fewer picks and save time.”
Another time saver for Carson’s operator is the on-board computer system, which Samango says is very easy to learn. “This is just one more of those big crane features found in the smaller RT670,” says Limbach. “The system uses a pictograph intuitive display, so it is very easy for the operator to adjust settings and operate the crane.”
Assisting with formwork construction and placing, loading and unloading trailers and helping to deliver concrete where it’s required, the RT670 must be fast and efficient to keep workers busy and the project on schedule. Its two-speed main and auxiliary winches deliver on-the-fly shifting between high and low speeds and offer a maximum 533-ft/min winch speed. It also offers a strong, 18,450-lb maximum winch line pull.
From formwork to concrete, the Terex RT670 has consistently risen to every lift challenge presented by Carson’s crews thus far. With its three steering modes – front wheel; four wheel concentric; and four wheel crab – it quickly navigates around the site cluttered with rebar and panels. Probably more important, its four-wheel drive helps ensure “it doesn’t get stuck in the mud,” says Samango.
About the Terex® RT670
Compact and rugged, the Terex RT670 gives Carson Concrete Corp. a rough terrain crane with a main boom length of 111 feet, which telescopes under load to efficiently perform a variety of lifting tasks. Its six-speed powershift transmission and four-wheel drive allows the RT670 to navigate extremely challenging terrain. Three steering modes deliver quick and nimble navigation through congested jobsites.
Designed for reliable lifting performance day in and day out, the RT670 rough terrain crane provides a maximum rated capacity of 70 tons. Incorporating the undercarriage and wide outrigger design of the 80-ton Terex RT780 Rough Terrain crane, the RT670 delivers solid performance throughout its entire lift range. Three independent hydraulic pumping systems enable simultaneous operation of all crane functions without losing performance.
A fiberglass engine hood delivers quiet and cool crane operation. The crane’s rated capacity indicator provides a visual interface for the crane operator.
About Carson Concrete Corporation
In business for 35 years, Carson Concrete Corporation specializes in condominium, building, parking garage and post tension construction applications. Known for speed, quality and safety, Carson employs nearly 300 team members and has the necessary equipment to construct formwork, finish and install reinforcing steel, and place and finish concrete without the assistance of subcontractors.
Completing more than 800 projects since 1977, Carson’s market consists primarily of the territory surrounding the Philadelphia region, but the company has completed projects along the Eastern Seaboard from Atlantic City, N.J. to Florida. Most recently, Carson has completed a research building project for the University of Pennsylvania, a 19-story “twisting” concrete frame at Drexel University and four concrete frames at the Piazza at Schmidts. More information on Carson Concrete Corp. can be found at www.carsonconcrete.net.
About Terex
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Terex reports in five business segments: Aerial Work Platforms; Construction; Cranes; Material Handling & Port Solutions; and Materials Processing. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information can be found at www.terex.com
