120|HT pairs quality with unmatched versatility

Waggoner Equipment Rental LLC of Wood River, Illinois, recently purchased a 120-ton 120|HT to maximize its crane fleet’s competitiveness. Waggoner selected the 120|HT for its versatility and supreme maneuverability, making it the company’s fourth Link-Belt crane currently in operation.

Waggoner Owner Alana Yount said the 120|HT’s impressive mobility is exactly what its fleet needed to better service residential and commercial clients. Along with a need to regularly offload materials and components to handle general taxi crane projects, the 120|HT covers every base.

“It covers so many ranges of equipment needs,” Yount said. “We can use it as an 80-ton or 100-ton as well as a 120-ton machine, which we utilize on a regular basis every week.”

True Taxi Rental

The 120|HT assisted in lifting two 30,000-gallon tanks measuring 12 feet 4 inches in diameter and 35 feet tall at a recent job site in Shipman, Illinois. Weighing about 15,000 pounds each, the tanks were placed at a 42-foot radius with 87 feet of boom.

The 120|HT lifts 30,000-gallon tanks measuring 12 feet 4 inches in diameter and 35 feet tall, weighing about 15,000 pounds each.

The next day, the 120|HT displayed its ability to utilize multiple counterweight configurations while lifting carbon steel piping, large chillers, and HVAC units used to upgrade a St. Louis hospital. The HT loaded the piping, weighing between 3,500 and 6,500 pounds, onto trailers prepped for transport. The pipes were staged at Waggoner’s storage yard prior to transport, requiring the crane to work at an 80-foot radius and more.

“We can downrent this crane, and it fills a lot of different holes in our fleet,” said Brandon Yates, Waggoner commercial and residential project manager. “A lot of different counterweight options give us the capability to do various jobs. And it’s comfortable to drive with ease in mobility. That’s great.”

Yates further explained that the HT’s Pulse 2.0 operating system is simple to use and one of the crane’s many invaluable features. He noted that the crane’s V-CALC capabilities allow for flexibility in outrigger positions, expediting his crew’s workflow and ensuring more work gets done in less time.

“It’s easy to set up. It’s very operator friendly,” Yates said of the crane’s Pulse 2.0 system. “Having the V-CALC system on this crane along with its lifting capabilities is great.”

Finally, in the same week, the 120|HT traveled 37 miles to Carlinville, Illinois, to help assemble a manufactured home. Comprised of two 15-foot-3-inch-wide sections that weighed 40,700 pounds and 38,900 pounds, respectively, the house featured a length of 76 feet 4 inches.

Waggoner equipment operator Joe Sardigal said the crane’s modular counterweight system is especially handy for heavier lifts. By transporting the crane with a dolly in accordance with highway weight specifications, the ability to add counterweight depending on the lift allows Waggoner to be self-sufficient and minimize costly overflow loads.

“You get to the job site, and you have 49,000 pounds of counterweight with you to do your heavier picks and longer radius,” Sardigal said.

Along with this, Sardigal described the experience of driving the 120|HT as “top notch.”

“It’s the best riding and driving crane I’ve ever been in,” Sardigal said. “To and from the job, it’s pretty close to a Cadillac riding down the road.”