Kobelco launches ‘big brother’ to crane range

With classic country music tunes playing in the background and a barbecue crew preparing savory ribs, brisket, sausage and all the trimmings, the Kobelco CK 3300G-2 was given a Texas-style launch in early April in Houston. The Kobelco Cranes team hosted customers and dealers from throughout North America, presenting a full walk around of the new crane and giving guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with the first model. 

I attended one of the soirees that included some 80 Kobelco loyalists.

The crane was developed in three models – the CK 3300G-2 for the North American market, the CKE 3000G for the European market and the CKS 3000 standard model. It has a maximum lifting capacity of 330 tons and 385 tons with the Super Heavy Lift (SHL) specification. 

The new crane debuts as the largest model of Kobelco’s multi-purpose crawler crane CK/CKE/CKS series, which has been a best seller in the market for many years, according to Jack Fendrick, vice president, Kobelco Cranes. 

“The basic concept of this new model is its versatility and ease of operation,” said Fendrick. “Simply put, this crane is a Kobelco. It has many of the same designs and components as our other cranes, which means it will be familiar to operators. This also makes things easier to fix.”

Fendrick said the new model is a “big brother” to the current Kobelco line. 

New Scania engine

The new CK 3300G-2 has a maximum boom length of 295 feet and a maximum fixed jib combination of 256 feet plus 100 feet. The heavy fixed jib combination is 236 feet plus 98 feet. The maximum lifting capacity with the luffing jib is 132 tons, and the maximum luffing boom length is 197 feet. The maximum luffing jib length is 217 feet. 

The crane features a new engine made by Scania. Scania’s North American headquarters is in San Antonio, TX. 

“We are very excited about this engine and our relationship with Scania,” said Fendrick. “They have a strong reputation in Europe. We bought every single part to be able to build the engine ourselves. We are very confident in this new engine.”

The crane was designed with various attachments ranging from standard 

crane configuration, including fixed jib, heavy fixed jib and luffing jib, which are most suitable for multipurpose works, to the super heavy lift configuration, including luffing jib, for the heaviest lifts, Fendrick said. 

“We designed this crane taking into consideration maximum compatibility, such as jibs and pallet weights, with our other models,” said Fendrick. “After in-depth marketing research on the 300-ton crane market, we positioned this crane  to provide superior lifting capacity.”

As an example, when compared to Kobelco’s CK 2750G-2, with a 275-ton capacity, the load moment in the standard crane specification is 40 percent higher, and in the standard luffing configuration it is 60 percent higher. The SHL specification can compete with the 400 to 500-ton crane classes, Fendrick said. 

Other design enhancements include:

• The undercarriage has been enhanced to operate on rough ground. It has high ground clearance and strong propelling performance, while minimizing the overall footprint.
• An option free-fall winch is available.
• The cabin is designed for an operator-friendly environment that is safe and comfortable. The wide windows and tilt mechanism offer good visibility. 
• An intuitive-designed Moment Limiter monitor makes it simple for anyone to quickly master the operation with easily understandable pictograms and a touch screen panel. A working range limiter assists the operator in preventing collisions.
• Transport width is less than 10 feet for all components. Main machine weights can be adjusted with some variations to meet transport restrictions. It can be transported with 17 trailers. 

The crane shown in Houston was sold by Kobelco distributor Bigge Crane & Rigging to Postel International. It was set to be transported to LaPorte, TX for its first job erecting tilt walls. Mike, Jeff and Matt Postel were on hand to take delivery of the new crane.

“We are excited to add this crane to our fleet, and we are going to put it to the test quickly,” said Mike Postel. “We think it will be very versatile, and especially suitable for tilt wall erection.”

Kobelco General Manager Greg Ballweg said the reception to the new CK 3300G-2 has been “fantastic.”  

“Our customers have been anticipating its introduction, and now many of them have been able to see the crane first-hand at our introduction events here in Houston,” he said. “The feedback we have received is very positive, and we’re looking forward to placing many units in the field in the years to come.”

Strong design attributes

Ballweg also referred to the CK 3300G-2 as the “big brother” to Kobelco’s crane range. “It fits perfectly into our line-up,” Ballweg said. “Our previous line-up stopped at the 275-ton size class CK 2750G-2, so the CK 3300G-2 is our next logical step up to enter into the next larger, 330-ton size class. Our design engineers have done a good job at integrating common design characteristics and components where possible, of our current G-2 series models.”

The order board for the CK 3300G-2 is strong. 

“Our backlog stretches into the first quarter of 2019,” Ballweg said. “Like all the other Kobelco crawler cranes we offer in North America, the CK 3300G-2 will fit right in as an all-around versatile performer. It will fit perfectly into markets and applications such as tilt wall construction, steel erection, bridge building and pile driving, plant construction and maintenance and wind farm maintenance jobs.” 

Prior to the crane debut, attendees of the Kobelco event were given a tour of the new Kobelco Construction Machinery USA headquarters in Katy, TX, just west of Houston. The new facility houses the recently merged offices of the Kobelco excavator and crane divisions and a huge parts warehouse for both divisions.

With classic country music tunes playing in the background and a barbecue crew preparing savory ribs, brisket, sausage and all the trimmings, the Kobelco CK 3300G-2 was given a Texas-style launch in early April in Houston. The Kobelco Cranes team hosted customers and dealers from throughout North America, presenting a full walk around of the new crane and giving guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with the first model. I attended one of the soirees that included some 80 Kobelco loyalists.The crane was developed in three models – the CK 3300G-2 for the North American market, the CKE 3000G for the European market and the CKS 3000 standard model. It has a maximum lifting capacity of 330 tons and 385 tons with the Super Heavy Lift (SHL) specification. The new crane debuts as the largest model of Kobelco’s multi-purpose crawler crane CK/CKE/CKS series, which has been a best seller in the market for many years, according to Jack Fendrick, vice president, Kobelco Cranes. “The basic concept of this new model is its versatility and ease of operation,” said Fendrick. “Simply put, this crane is a Kobelco. It has many of the same designs and components as our other cranes, which means it will be familiar to operators. This also makes things easier to fix.”Fendrick said the new model is a “big brother” to the current Kobelco line. 

New Scania engineThe new CK 3300G-2 has a maximum boom length of 295 feet and a maximum fixed jib combination of 256 feet plus 100 feet. The heavy fixed jib combination is 236 feet plus 98 feet. The maximum lifting capacity with the luffing jib is 132 tons, and the maximum luffing boom length is 197 feet. The maximum luffing jib length is 217 feet. The crane features a new engine made by Scania. Scania’s North American headquarters is in San Antonio, TX. 

“We are very excited about this engine and our relationship with Scania,” said Fendrick. “They have a strong reputation in Europe. We bought every single part to be able to build the engine ourselves. We are very confident in this new engine.”The crane was designed with various attachments ranging from standard crane configuration, including fixed jib, heavy fixed jib and luffing jib, which are most suitable for multipurpose works, to the super heavy lift configuration, including luffing jib, for the heaviest lifts, Fendrick said. “We designed this crane taking into consideration maximum compatibility, such as jibs and pallet weights, with our other models,” said Fendrick. “After in-depth marketing research on the 300-ton crane market, we positioned this crane  to provide superior lifting capacity.” As an example, when compared to Kobelco’s CK 2750G-2, with a 275-ton capacity, the load moment in the standard crane specification is 40 percent higher, and in the standard luffing configuration it is 60 percent higher. The SHL specification can compete with the 400 to 500-ton crane classes, Fendrick said. 

Other design enhancements include:n The undercarriage has been enhanced to operate on rough ground. It has high ground clearance and strong propelling performance, while minimizing the overall footprint. An option free-fall winch is available.The cabin is designed for an operator-friendly environment that is safe and comfortable. The wide windows and tilt mechanism offer good visibility. n An intuitive-designed Moment Limiter monitor makes it simple for anyone to quickly master the operation with easily understandable pictograms and a touch screen panel. A working range limiter assists the operator in preventing collisions.n Transport width is less than 10 feet for all components. Main machine weights can be adjusted with some variations to meet transport restrictions. It can be transported with 17 trailers. The crane shown in Houston was sold by Kobelco distributor Bigge Crane & Rigging to Postel International. It was set to be transported to LaPorte, TX for its first job erecting tilt walls. Mike, Jeff and Matt Postel were on hand to take delivery of the new crane.

“We are excited to add this crane to our fleet, and we are going to put it to the test quickly,” said Mike Postel. “We think it will be very versatile, and especially suitable for tilt wall erection.”Kobelco General Manager Greg Ballweg said the reception to the new CK 3300G-2 has been “fantastic.”  “Our customers have been anticipating its introduction, and now many of them have been able to see the crane first-hand at our introduction events here in Houston,” he said. “The feedback we have received is very positive, and we’re looking forward to placing many units in the field in the years to come.”

Strong design attributesBallweg also referred to the CK 3300G-2 as the “big brother” to Kobelco’s crane range. “It fits perfectly into our line-up,” Ballweg said. “Our previous line-up stopped at the 275-ton size class CK 2750G-2, so the CK 3300G-2 is our next logical step up to enter into the next larger, 330-ton size class. Our design engineers have done a good job at integrating common design characteristics and components where possible, of our current G-2 series models.”The order board for the CK 3300G-2 is strong. “Our backlog stretches into the first quarter of 2019,” Ballweg said. “Like all the other Kobelco crawler cranes we offer in North America, the CK 3300G-2 will fit right in as an all-around versatile performer. It will fit perfectly into markets and applications such as tilt wall construction, steel erection, bridge building and pile driving, plant construction and maintenance and wind farm maintenance jobs.” Prior to the crane debut, attendees of the Kobelco event were given a tour of the new Kobelco Construction Machinery USA headquarters in Katy, TX, just west of Houston. The new facility houses the recently merged offices of the Kobelco excavator and crane divisions and a huge parts warehouse for both divisions.