Dacotah West’s HTC-8675 Travels 11,000 Miles in First Ten Months

During its first ten months of use, Dacotah West Crane Service of Williston, North Dakota logged over 11,000 miles on its new Link-Belt HTC-8675 Series II 75 ton (70 mt) hydraulic truck crane. 

Owners Andy Njos and Aaron Volesky try to keep jobs close to each other, but companies they serve in the North Dakota Williston Basin are spread out. The rig travels easily at 65 mph to drilling locations getting ready for oil production.           

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According to Njos, “The reason we chose to go with Link-Belt Cranes was because of the North Dakota frost laws (Spring Load Restrictions). Weight limits are strict and low. It’s 6-ton per axle and even the all-terrain cranes can’t really be used in the spring. The heavier cranes can cost us close to $100 per mile to move, so the Link-Belt truck cranes are really road worthy, efficient, and economical. On top of that, the HTC-8675 Series II has good charts for what it weighs. The 75-ton had better charts than the competition’s 80-ton machine. That’s another reason we went for it,” said Njos.

The company works within a 200 mile radius of Williston, North Dakota which includes eastern Montana and much of central and eastern North Dakota. Typical work for the HTC-8675 Series II includes lifting up to 13,000 lb. (5 896.7 kg) oil treaters, and placing them vertically on foundation slabs. A heavier lift for the HTC-8675 Series II is unloading one of the many Rotaflex pumping units used throughout the region. The 60,000 lb. (27 215.5 kg) pump is stored on well sites until it is ready for erection and service. Close grouping of the Rotaflex pumping units is standard to allow room for future drilling needs, so full control over the load is important as the HTC-8675 Series II unloads and arranges the units together. 

Before getting into the crane business in 2010, Njos and Volesky both had experience in the production end of oil and gas industry, as well as working in the taxi-crane sector of general construction throughout the region. 

Says Njos, “The HTC-8675, even with all of its counterweights on, about 102,000 pounds worth, is easy to permit. With a triple axle boom dolly, you can stack all the counterweights on it and just send it down the road. So, for us, it’s very operator friendly. It rigs up and down very quickly, and is easy from a mobility factor.”