SANY Showcases 125-Tonne STC1250 Hydraulic Truck Crane at bauma China 2012

SHANGHAI, China — November 2012 — SANY is showcasing its STC1250 hydraulic truck crane at bauma China 2012, presenting visitors with a 125-tonne capacity truck crane featuring a six-section telescopic boom and five-axle carrier.

The STC1250 is among the truck crane products displayed by SANY at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 27 to 30 November. SANY has brought a total of 51 machines to this year’s exhibition, covering several equipment categories including truck cranes, crawler cranes, concrete machinery, excavators, road machinery, port machinery and piling equipment.

For the crane industry, the STC1250 is particularly interesting as SANY continues to strengthen its position in the larger-capacity truck crane market.

The crane offers a maximum rated lifting capacity of 125 tonnes and is mounted on a purpose-designed five-axle carrier. One of its main features is its six-section U-shaped telescopic boom, which can extend to 60 metres.

With the jib installed, the maximum boom and jib combination reaches approximately 78 metres, providing additional lifting height for projects where longer reach is required.

Five-Axle Carrier Designed for Mobility

While lifting capacity remains one of the most important considerations for a crane of this size, SANY has also placed considerable attention on carrier mobility.

The STC1250 uses a five-axle chassis with three driven axles and three steering axles. According to SANY, the steering arrangement allows the crane to achieve a minimum turning radius of approximately 11 metres.

This is an important consideration for a 125-tonne truck crane.

Large cranes are often required to enter construction sites, industrial plants and infrastructure projects where access can be restricted. A smaller turning radius can help the driver manoeuvre the crane through narrow entrances and confined areas before setting up for lifting operations.

The combination of multiple driven axles and steering axles is also intended to improve the crane’s travelling performance when moving between different working environments.

For crane rental companies, this could be particularly useful. A truck crane needs to be capable not only of carrying out the lift but also of travelling efficiently from one project to another.

60-Metre Six-Section Main Boom

One of the strongest features of the STC1250 is its main boom.

SANY has equipped the crane with a six-section U-shaped telescopic boom capable of reaching 60 metres when fully extended. The manufacturer says the boom design has been optimised to provide greater lifting performance while maintaining the structural strength required for the 125-tonne capacity class.

This long main boom provides additional flexibility for contractors working on projects where both lifting capacity and height are important.

Not every job requires the crane to lift its maximum rated capacity.

On many construction projects, operators may instead need to lift smaller loads to greater heights or work at longer radii. Equipment installation, structural steel erection and general industrial construction are some examples where a longer boom can provide an advantage.

With the additional jib installed, the STC1250 can achieve a boom and jib length of around 78 metres.

This gives the crane greater flexibility to handle different lifting requirements without moving into the much larger all-terrain crane category.

Lifting Performance Developed for the Higher-Capacity Market

The STC1250 was first completed at SANY’s crane manufacturing facility on 30 November 2011.

At the time, SANY described the machine as its domestically developed five-axle, six-section boom truck crane in the 125-tonne class. The manufacturer also stated that the crane’s lifting performance had been designed with performance comparable to the 130-tonne class in mind.

Its appearance at bauma China now provides customers and industry professionals with an opportunity to inspect the machine during one of Asia’s largest construction equipment exhibitions.

This is particularly significant as Chinese crane manufacturers continue to introduce increasingly larger mobile cranes.

The development of a higher-capacity truck crane requires more than simply installing a stronger boom. Carrier strength, axle configuration, hydraulic performance, counterweight arrangements and crane control systems all have to work together to produce a machine that remains practical on the jobsite.

With the STC1250, SANY has attempted to combine these requirements into a truck crane that can provide high lifting capacity while maintaining the road mobility expected from this type of machine.

SANY Introduces Its Double-Pump Hydraulic Technology

The hydraulic system is another area where SANY has focused its development work.

The manufacturer says the STC1250 incorporates its double-pump flow combining and separating technology, designed to improve the operation of the crane’s hydraulic functions.

For an operator, hydraulic performance has a direct influence on how the crane feels during lifting operations.

A crane may have impressive lifting capacities on paper, but precise control is equally important when positioning loads. Operators regularly need to make very small movements while installing machinery, structural components or other loads in confined locations.

SANY says the STC1250 has been developed to provide improved fine control and smoother operation while also increasing operating efficiency and reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

This focus on control is becoming increasingly important as cranes become larger and lifting projects become more demanding.

Part of SANY’s Expanding Large Crane Range

The STC1250 is appearing at bauma China during a period of rapid product development for SANY’s crane division.

During 2011, the manufacturer introduced several higher-capacity crane models as it continued expanding its mobile and crawler crane range.

These developments included the STC900 truck crane, STC1000C truck crane, SAC3000 all-terrain crane and SAC3500 all-terrain crane, alongside the STC1250.

At bauma China 2012, SANY’s crane display has become even more extensive.

Alongside the STC1250, the company’s exhibition equipment includes the SAC3500 and SAC6000 all-terrain cranes as well as several crawler crane models. SANY’s enormous 3,600-tonne SCC86000A crawler crane is also attracting considerable attention at the exhibition.

The broad range demonstrates SANY’s intention to compete across several areas of the lifting equipment market, from conventional truck cranes through to very large crawler cranes for heavy industrial projects.

STC1250 Targets a Practical Segment of the Crane Market

While very large crawler cranes naturally attract much of the attention at major exhibitions, cranes such as the STC1250 could prove equally important from a commercial point of view.

The 125-tonne capacity range sits within an area that can serve a wide variety of construction and industrial applications.

The crane can potentially be deployed for structural construction, industrial maintenance, equipment installation, infrastructure work and other general lifting duties where smaller truck cranes may no longer provide sufficient capacity or reach.

At the same time, it retains the basic advantages of the truck crane concept.

Rather than requiring the extensive mobilisation associated with very large crawler cranes, the STC1250 is designed to travel as an integrated mobile crane before deploying its outriggers and preparing for lifting operations at the jobsite.

For rental companies operating cranes across several projects, this mobility can be an important part of equipment utilisation.

The question for customers visiting bauma China will therefore not simply be how much the STC1250 can lift.

They will also be looking at how easily it can move between jobs, how quickly it can be set up and whether its boom configuration provides sufficient flexibility for their typical projects.

A Significant Display for SANY at bauma China 2012

bauma China has become an important platform for construction equipment manufacturers seeking to demonstrate the growing capabilities of machinery developed for the Chinese and international markets.

Against this background, the STC1250 provides a clear indication of SANY’s ambitions in the higher-capacity truck crane sector.

With its 125-tonne rated lifting capacity, five-axle carrier, six-section 60-metre main boom and approximately 78-metre boom-and-jib combination, the machine brings together the main characteristics required from a larger hydraulic truck crane.

Its combination of boom reach, mobility and hydraulic control should make the STC1250 one of the SANY truck cranes worth watching during this year’s exhibition.

As customers and crane professionals gather in Shanghai for bauma China 2012, the STC1250 also demonstrates how quickly China’s mobile crane industry is moving towards higher capacities and more sophisticated machine designs.

For SANY, the machine represents another important addition to an increasingly broad crane product range.

For crane owners and contractors, it provides another option in the competitive 100-tonne-plus truck crane market.

And at bauma China 2012, visitors now have the opportunity to see the machine up close.