Gulf Construction Online - Tadano rolls out first member of its AC family

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Tadano’s new AC2.040-1 ... suited for congested sites.

Tadano rolls out first member of its AC family

01 April 2022

Tadano, one of the largest crane manufacturers in the world, has introduced its versatile, quick and ready-to-use taxi crane, AC 2.040-1, which was the first all-terrain crane that has been jointly developed by its engineering teams in Lauf and Zweibrücken, Germany. It is also the very first member of the future Tadano AC family.

Japan-headquartered Tadano has two production facilities in Europe. Tadano Faun, which is based in Lauf, has been part of the Tadano Group since 1990, while Zweibrücken-based Tadano Demag was acquired in 2019.

The launch also marks the completion of the announced brand merger – all Tadano Group cranes will be sold exclusively under the Tadano brand name.

“That’s why this market launch is really special for us – the new AC 2.040-1 is the first crane to combine the best of our two worlds with the know-how from Zweibrücken and Lauf,” remarks Dr Frank Schröder, the All Terrain Crane Product Line Vice President. “This also means that the AC 2.040-1 is blazing a trail that all Tadano cranes will be following in the future: It is the first crane in the new Tadano AC family. And all future models will share the same DNA with the AC 2.040-1: a standardised crane control system, cab, and technologies.”

The Tadano AC 2.040-1 is part of the company’s innovation push, which will see 15 new crane models launched in the next few years under the Tadano brand name.

“As far as we’re concerned, cranes are more than just a product we sell. We also want to convey an exclusive sense of purpose and dedication: No other manufacturer is as focused on lifting equipment as we are, and this goes both for our company as a whole and for each individual member of our team. For us, every single lift that is performed out there is just as important as it is to the customer carrying it out,” CEO Jens Ennen says.

The new model is described as being a perfect solution for a wide range of assignments, including roofing projects, photovoltaic system installations, and lifting containers and work material at work sites.

New Tadano AC family

Like all future models, AC 2.040-1 features the innovative IC 1 Plus control system with automatic counterweight detection, a capacity radar and a work area display.

“The system determines the crane’s lifting capacity for every boom position as a function of the superstructure’s slewing angle. This enables the AC 2.040-1 to always make use of the maximum available lifting capacity with any outrigger configuration, including asymmetrical ones. This advantage is maximised when combined with the Flex Base system, which makes it possible to extend the outriggers to any point within their range.

“In addition, the crane features the one-of-a-kind Tadano Surround View camera system, which shows both the maximum possible extension lengths for the outriggers and the counterweight tailswing radius. This makes it significantly easier to optimally position the crane at work sites. The system provides assistance on the way to the work site by making it easier for crane operators to notice pedestrians and cyclists when turning,” Dr Frank says.

The crane also comes with the IC 1 Remote telematics solution, which makes efficient crane and fleet management possible and shows both the location of the AC 2.040-1 and all its operating information on the monitor. This system helps with scheduling projects and routine maintenance, ensuring that the crane will have the highest possible availability for assignments. Moreover, it can be used to read error codes so that service team members can read the corresponding data “remotely” and run fault analyses to quickly diagnose and fix problems, he adds.

Manoeuvrable & compact

The AC 2.040-1 offers an entire series of model-specific advantages: As a two-axle crane, it is compact and perfect for use at constrained work sites. The crane owes its exceptional manoeuvrability where space is tight to a number of factors, including its steerable rear axle with automatic programmes for extremely tight radii and crab steering. The compact design with an optimised weight also improves the new Tadano’s roadworthiness, giving it outstanding taxi crane capabilities: It can carry up to 1.1 tonnes of counterweight while staying under an axle load limit of 12 tonnes, Dr Frank explains.

In terms of its lifting performance, the AC 2.040-1 raises the bar particularly when it comes to steep boom positions: With a fully extended boom length of 35.2 m at a radius of 8 m, it can lift loads of up to 7.6 tonnes – something that no other crane in this class can do, he claims. In addition, the powerful hydraulic boom makes it possible to take care of heavy lifts involving loads of up to 31.9 tonnes without requiring any additional sheaves. “This enables the AC 2.040-1 to take care of a broad range of lifts without carrying out time-consuming set-up changes, making it both a fast and versatile machine,” says Dr Frank.