Potain MDT 569 Tower Crane Helps Spira Build Laboratories For Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute Of Technology
Spira Baugeräte und Schalungslogistik, a formwork and construction equipment hire firm in Speyer, Germany, recently acquired a 25-tonne (27.5-U.S.-ton) Potain MDT 569 M25 top-slewing tower crane with an 80-metre (262-foot) jib. The company soon put the crane to work on the construction of two new laboratory buildings at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Baden-Württemberg.
It took Spira technicians and Potain factory fitters just two days to set up the MDT 569 on the small, city centre worksite using a 400-t (441-U.S.-t), six-axle Grove GMK6400 all-terrain crane.
“The MDT 569 is one of the few topless cranes of this size, and the ease of installation and the ergonomics of the assembly won the Spira management team over,” says Spira Joint Manager Philippe Dupré. “As for the spare parts service and the aftersales service, they are simply exceptional.”
Easy Transport & Assembly
The KIT project required a compact crane able to lift 15 t (16.5 U.S. t) at a radius of 35 m (115 ft) and 8 t (8.8 U.S. t) at 60 m (197 ft). Spira and Potain technicians erected the MDT 569 with a hook height of 48.9 m (160 ft) and a 60-m jib, from the tip of which it can lift up to 8.9 t (9.8 U.S. t). The MDT 569 will hoist large, prefabricated building components at the site until approximately April 2023.
The crane’s ease of transport and assembly also figured heavily into Spira’s decision. Potain made its counterweight tray simple and quick to unfold. The crane’s 8-m (26-ft), cross-shaped base is similarly easy to assemble and ships in one container. The wired tower head and cab assembly, once fitted, do not need to be dismantled between jobsites. And at most, Potain says, the MDT 569’s full jib and slewing crane upper section requires only nine containers to transport.
“For a week, we meticulously planned the pre-assembly and logistics” of the project, says Spira’s other Joint Manager, Yves Dupré. “The optimised size of the crane components for truck transport definitely convinced us the Potain MDT 569 was the right crane for the job.”
Spira’s hire fleet consists of 60 self-erecting and 50 top-slewing models.
The Potain MDT 569
The MDT 569 can use standard K800 and mix mast composition K850 masts to reach very high hook heights, according to Potain. Its modular jib, which needs no tie bars, can be extended from 30 to 80 m (98 to 262 ft) in 5-m (16-ft) increments. The crane can lift a maximum of 4.2 t (4.7 U.S. t) at its full radius.
Potain parent company Manitowoc supplies the MDT 569’s Crane Control System (CCS). CCS makes erection faster and easier, as all adjustments, commissioning, and other configuration of the crane can be made from the cab.
Potain also sells the MDT 569 in 20- and 32-t (22- and 35.3-U.S.-t) versions.
Find The Right Cranes
MarketBook is a prime source for new and used Potain tower cranes for urban projects, and you’ll find Grove all-terrain cranes like the GMK6400 for sale on the site, as well.
Source: Manitowoc