New Manitowoc Crane Flexes Duty-Cycle Muscle

Sept. 28, 2010

 Manitowoc 1015 crane
The new 1015 crane, says Manitowoc, is self-erecting and easily transportable.
The new 1015 crane, says Manitowoc, is self-erecting and easily transportable. The Cummins QSX15 engine is standard, with the Caterpillar C-16 as an option. Serviceability features include a slide-out platform that houses the engine and pumps.
Controls for attachments are integrated into the 1015's standard control panel.

Manitowoc Cranes' new 1015 lattice-boom crawler crane, with 600 horsepower and a base weight of 269,000 pounds, can work quite competently as a 110-ton-capacity lift-crane, providing main-boom lengths to 180 feet and boom/fixed-jib combinations to 210 feet. In its soul, however, the 1015 is really a heavy-duty work crane. It is specifically designed, says Manitowoc, to handle large foundation, ground-engaging and duty-cycle attachments, including casing drills, draglines, clamshells, demolition balls, vibratory drivers, trench cutters and magnets.

Working in these demanding applications, of course, requires a durable base machine, and to that end, the company has equipped the 1015 with a heavy-duty, excavator-type, retractable undercarriage designed to absorb the stress of wielding big work tools. For mid-section strength, dual swing drives push the 1015's upperworks around a heavy-duty, three-row, roller-type bearing that is sized, says Manitowoc, to handle continuous duty-cycle tasks with long life.

Boom strength is assured, says the company, by the 1015's capacity to withstand side loads of 25 percent, contrasting with a typical lift-crane's ability to resist side loads of only 2 percent. The boom for the new model also features a 3-foot detachable top section, allowing it to be removed to accommodate different attachments without disturbing the pendants.

At the hydraulic heart of this new machine are three, independent, closed-loop systems powering the two main drums and boom-hoist. In addition, a two-pump, open-loop system powers the travel, swing and optional-drum functions, as well as attachment functions when flow from the travel circuit is diverted. The open-loop system generates flows to 180 gpm and pressures to 4,300 psi, enough hydraulic horsepower, says Manitowoc, to operate most attachments without an auxiliary power pack, which is available if needed. A heavy-duty oil cooler is sized to keep the machine's 225 gallons of hydraulic fluid running safely.

The 1015 uses two, equal-width main drums that accommodate either 32-mm (1.25-inch) wire rope for 40,000-pound-capacity hoists, or 38-mm (1.5-inch) rope for 66,000-pound-capacity hoists. Line pull is constant, says Manitowoc, from the first through the fourth layers. Line speeds of up to 615 fpm are possible with the 44,000-pound drum, and free-fall capability is standard. The 1015's drum brakes, using 13 discs with nearly 4.5 square meters of braking surface, are flushed and cooled with 40 gallons of oil per minute.