Wisconsin-based construction firm Findorff was faced with a unique opportunity. On a job in Milwaukee, the contractor had used a tower crane for a new 44-story mixed-use building. The property, which consists of over 300 apartments, retail space and parking, was built with 708 cast-in-place concrete panels and window walls.
Once the tower crane was dismantled, however, eight precast panels needed to be placed where it was tied into the building.
“We looked at many different options for setting the panels, most of which would require some kind of modification of interiors or high equipment costs,” said Findorff Supervisor Kurt Erickson. “But since Reynolds Equipment had a Tadano AC 7.450-1 500-ton all-terrain crane on site for the tower crane dismantle, we were able to extend the timeline by only one or two days to set the panels.”
The Tadano AC 7.450-1 was able to handle the remaining panels without any issue. In fact, the critical pick was the final precast panel, which weighed in around 7,600 pounds with rigging and had to be set at a radius of 135 feet and a height of around 380 feet.
Nate Reynolds, executive vice president at Reynolds Crane, described how the versatile crane came through in the clutch. “In this case, we were able to communicate with Findorff and use the same mobile crane for multiple uses on the job,” he said.
Combining Advantages
The seven-axle Tadano AC 7.450-1 all-terrain is a compact model that combines the size advantages of a six-axle crane with the power and performance of an eight-axle machine. The 500-ton capacity crane has a 48.6- to 262.5-foot main boom and can be equipped with a range of boom extensions.
The all-terrain has a maximum tip height of 419 feet and a maximum operating radius of 321.5 feet. It has a hoist line pull rating of 26,014 pounds and a maximum counterweight capacity of 330,693 pounds. The crane is also fitted with six cameras to keep everything in view for the operator.
“The Tadano crane’s automatic boom/luffing angle adjustment capability to minimize deflection when the weight of the pick changed was perfect for this task because we needed the hook to be less than one foot away from the structure most of the time,” Erickson said. “Radius, capacity and, most importantly, height, were not concerns at all on this job because of the configurations available with the AC 7.450-1. And reconfiguring also seemed to take a much smaller crew and went faster.”
“A jobsite like this showcases exactly why we decided to add this new crane to our fleet,” Reynolds said. “The Tadano AC 7.450-1 all-terrain is optimal for setting tower cranes and when you look at the load charts it fits perfectly with customer demand in our daily crane rental fleet.”
Team Effort
Overall, this project represented a team effort from both companies, a pairing that brought together nearly 270 years of combined experience. Findorff, with offices in Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau, Wisconsin is a construction contractor for corporate, education, healthcare, multifamily and science and technology industries that was founded in 1890.
A 135-year-old, family-owned business, Reynolds Crane, based in DeForest, Wisconsin, operates Reynolds Equipment, a Tadano and other construction equipment dealership, and Reynolds Rigging and Crane, which offers operated crane rental and rigging and has a specialized tower crane and hoist division.
Erickson was very appreciative of the support that Reynolds provided. “The resources, staff and crew with Reynolds are very helpful in providing me with any information that I need to plan,” he said. “Nate Reynolds has always been willing to meet me on jobsites to look over everything well before the task planning begins. It’s nice to just jump into the work and know that everyone understands the plan.”
In this case, that plan was amended on site to use the versatile Tadano AC 7.450-1 all-terrain crane to save costs and tackle multiple tasks on the Milwaukee construction project.
For Reynolds, the job was also about the value of Findorff and Reynolds working seamlessly together. “When we’re operating as efficiently as possible, everyone benefits, from the contractor to their customer and the community as a whole,” he said. “Best of all, the citizens of Milwaukee now have an amazing new building on the skyline.”