Wilbert testing new tower crane

Germany-based Wilbert recently assembled its prototype of its newest product, the WT 650 e.tronic saddle jib tower crane. The new crane was seen for the first time in mid December 2006 at the new Wilbert plant in Waldlaubersheim, Germany.

The WT 650 is the first Wilbert tower crane with jib ties, a feature used to give high load capacity and minimum component weight, the manufacturer said. The latest model follows the WT 200 e.tronic and WT 420 e.tronic models from this new manufacturer.

Maximum freestanding height is 116.40 meters (383 feet), maximum load capacity is 32 metric tons (35 tons) and the maximum load capacity at the end of the longest-82.5 m (270 feet)-jib is 6.3 metric tons (6.9 tons). Jib lengths between 30.0 and 82.5 meter (100 and 270 feet) can be varied in 2.5 meter (8 feet) steps using nine different jib sections.

For easy transport the slewing and tower head section, counter jib and 270 feet jib can be transported on five trucks, the manufacturer said.

All Wilbert towers include PLC frequency converter controls, limiters for the operating range and black box type data collection and analysis systems. Hoist gear is a Flender gearbox with 110 kW (148 hp) motor and maximum hook travel is 500 meters (1,640 feet).