New Link-Belt ATC-3130 has a busy first week in Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH (August 2002) — Lomma Crane & Rigging didn’t waste any time putting their new Link-Belt ATC-3130, 130-ton All Terrain Crane to work. From erecting cellular telephone towers in the surrounding Allegheny Mountains, setting a service building or installing a steam vault in downtown Pittsburgh, Lomma’s new ATC-3130 had a busy first week on the job.

The new crane is a 130-ton capacity, telescopic boom, all terrain crane. Not only was it chosen for its lift capacities, but also because of its reach. “At 275-ft., which includes its five section, full-power, 167.3-ft. main boom and optional 98.75-ft. fold-away jib, the ATC-3130 has the longest reach of any machine in its class. Combine that with the crane's ability to work off the beaten path or on paved highways, then our reason for it's purchase becomes a lot clearer,” says Victor DiPietro, Manager, Lomma Crane and Rigging.

Lomma has a niche that is somewhat unique in the crane rental business. Cellular telephone companies, like NEXTEL and Verizon, will use Lomma’s machines to act as an antenna platform. Lomma will take their ATC-3130 out to the proposed cell tower site and put a signal generator and an antenna in a man basket. The operator raises the boom and jib to the height of the planned tower. While the antenna radiates a signal, cellular telephone company employees drive to various locations and monitor the signal strength. Using the data, they locate the new cell tower in the optimum area.

They may only set the crane up once or they may have us move to several locations. "The mountainside tower sites are tricky, and the prevailing winds can either help or hurt you at this stage. The wind can swirl around the mountain at a hurricane force (which all operators dread), or there can be no wind at all after we set the tower," continued DiPietro.

Under proper wind conditions, it is routine from here. Simply lower the tower down and slip it in place. It's when they get into erecting the self supporting towers that is can get a bit hairy.

These sections are often bolted together as they are erected, a section at a time. If all goes well, then it is no problem. Often, however, the holes don't precisely line up, and the operator may have to hold the load longer, or for half an hour while the fit is made.

"This is where the 20-degree tilt cab capability of the new Link-Belt crane comes into play. Rather than getting a crick in your neck from watching the load, we can now tilt the cab back to a comfortable angle to watch the load. That's an important comfort factor for the operator, and an even bigger safety factor for the erection crew," said crane operator Gregg Craven.

Maneuverability is another key feature of this machine. The ATC-3130 crane can steer in several different modes. In particular, the all-wheel crab steer is especially nice when maneuvering into a tight position in a restricted space on the side of a mountaintop, not to mention getting to the top from a cleared section called a road. There's barely enough room for the crane, much less a place to get to the most advantageous location to make the lift. The comparatively small footprint of the crane and its self-leveling ability on the outriggers are helpful to the operator and to the safety of the job. The operator can now sit in the cab and level everything in a single motion. It’s not like having to stand outside with a remote and leveling the outriggers one at a time.

Erecting the cell towers is usually only half the job. Once the tower is in position, the ATC-3130 will offload and set a 43,000-lbs, 10-ft. by 12-ft. by 20-ft. antenna tower service building.

The service building is brought in where the ATC-3130 can set the building from the transporter to the ground pad that has been built to receive it. This is also, where our rigging specialty comes into play. These are very heavy buildings for their size.

After erecting new cellular towers in the surrounding mountains of Pittsburgh, the ATC-3130 took part in the installation of a new steam vault and steam line coming from a generation plant to Allegheny General Hospital in downtown Pittsburgh.

The steam vault was installed in a trench 14' deep and measures 14-ft. by 8-ft. by 8-ft., and weighs more than 52,000 lbs. It's put in adjacent to temporary active lines. When placing the concrete vault in place it had 72.6-ft. of boom, and a 55-degree boom angle.