Large spider and mini crane launches from Platform Basket
09 October 2023
Platform Basket launched a range of new products at the GIS show, which took place in Piacenza, Italy, last week, as the company enters the spider crane and large spider lift markets.
AI received a preview of the 54m working height spider lift, which is designed specifically for telecommunications and electricity pylon work, a day before the show at Platform Basket’s headquarters in Reggio Emilia.
Platform Basket's Spider 54T at the manufacturer's production facilities.
Specialised spider
The new Spider 54T has a maximum basket capacity at full working height pf 400kg, and offers a 1,000kg capacity winch that is easily interchangeable and effectively turns it into a mobile crane. The unit is production ready, save the testing of its control system, with the first unit already sold to rental company Minoege. There are three more units on order.
Platform Basket’s managing director Carloalberto Molesini told AI that the 54T took two years to develop. “We wanted to make something different to the average equipment in this category, with full capacity in the basket to full height.
Molesini adds, “The real focus has been on antennas and electricity jobs. Other types of this equipment are designed for more general use in applications such shopping malls and indoor work. They have to be lighter and have less capacity for that reason.”
Other features of the Spider 54T include a 360 continuous turret rotation and basket rotation of +/- 90 degrees. The basket has dimensions of 2.3m x 0.91m, while the model’s length with and without basket is 9.55m. Its closed width is 1.75m and the closed height is 2.45m. The total weight of the machine is 23,000kg.
Mini cranes and material carriers
The Platform Basket 54T at the GIS show.
At GIS the manufacturer was also announcing its first range of mini material carriers and cranes, with and without stablisers, through the group’s Elma brand.
The Elma MCR40 and MCR30 are crawler mounted cranes with adjustable stabilisers and offer 4 tonne/metres and 3 tonne/metres lifting capacity, respectively. Both models can also be used without the stabilisers as pick and carry cranes. As far as outreach is concerned, the MCR30 provides 4.75m, wile the MCR40 ups that to 6.1m outreach. The standard weight of the machines are 1.4 tonnes and 1.46 tonnes, respectively. Optional, are adjustable tracks and a 230 Vac electric motor to go with the 8.7kW petrol engine.
The Elma compact MCR material carrier and MCR mini crane at GIS.
They have been joined by the PCR10 and PCR12 crawler mounted material carriers that are designed without stabilisers. The PCR10 is a standalone unit with a flatbed platform, while the PCR12 is a similar product with the addition of a crane that provides 1.2 tonne/metre lifting capacity. Both models have a carrying capacity of 1.1 tonnes on the platform. The crane has a maximum horizontal radius of 3.41 metres.
See a range of launches from GIS in the show review.
Mast lift and interview
The compact units follow in the footsteps of the Heron10 - Platform Basket’s first vertical mast lift, that was launched at APEX this year.
Find out more about Platform Basket’s latest products in the interview with Carlo Molesini, to be published soon. As well as providing insights into the fast evelving group and its plans, Molesini shares his view of the global spider lift sector.
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