TADANO presents a world-first: the ATF 600G-8 represents the new generation of large cranes.

The new eight-axle crane from TADANO unites a revolutionary world-first with established features that benefit crane owners economically. What’s special about the ATF 600G-8 is that it does without the boom suspension established in the large-cranes segment. Design engineers at the German TADANO subsidiary in Lauf an der Pegnitz succeeded in simplifying crane operation considerably with their newly developed “Triple-Boom System.”

Lifting without a boom suspension

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TADANO calls its innovative boom system the “Triple-Boom System” because, unlike conventional telescopic booms, it consists of not one, but three telescopes, which give the whole system an especially high degree of flexural and torsional stiffness at all times. It’s pure physics: the further away the materials of a load-bearing structure are from the center of that structure’s cross-section, the more stable the overall system will be. It is precisely this principle that we employed in our new Triple-Boom System. The mass of the total amount of available steel is no longer distributed in just one main boom but instead between another two telescopes connected together by what we refer to as “partitions.” These tubes are further away from the center of the system’s cross-section, which makes the overall system much more stable than a conventional single telescopic boom system. The weight of the new Triple-Boom System is very similar to that of a conventional boom system, which was one of the key concerns of TADANO’s designers given the increasingly important issue of axle loads. That allows the new eight-axle crane to comply with the 12 t per axle limit mandatory on many countries’ roads.

Intelligent bolting for more stability

The new Triple-Boom System is therefore essentially based on an optimum distribution of material and not on a highly complex and therefore fault-prone new technological solution. The different telescopes in the new Triple-Boom System are extended and retracted using our familiar TADANO one-cylinder system. The way the telescopes are bolted together is also in principle the same as in other TADANO models, except that the telescopes belonging to three tubes are now bolted together instead of just one. But to ensure that the new boom system would be reliable, the designers decided from the outset not to have the three tubes bolted together simultaneously but to seek and find an alternative solution: all three tubes in the new Triple- Boom System are bolted together one after the other, independently, beginning with the telescopes in the upper two additional tubes – called the Power Tubes – and finishing with the telescopes of the main tube. “This way we can make the system even more stable than it would be if bolted simultaneously,” says Andreas Hofmann, Project Manager for the new TADANO eight-axle crane. It’s another way in which the new Triple-Boom System impresses with its simplicity.

High lifting capacity and more efficiency

The Triple-Boom System’s high flexural and torsional stiffness naturally benefits the lifting capacity profile of the new eight-axle crane. Andreas Hofmann says, “Our customers can look forward to a crane which, when all’s said and done, can compete well with comparable models in its class. But it has the big advantage of providing much easier access to its lifting capacity because it has its boom suspension with it all the time, so to speak. We advise our customers to consider short and medium boom lengths especially carefully – lengths at which separate boom suspension systems cannot yet be effectively used. I can promise a few surprises in that department.”

For crane operators, the elimination of boom suspension signifies the elimination of the time and expense of transporting, rigging, and operating boom suspension. But it also means the new eight-axle crane has a much smaller tail swing radius than comparable large cranes with suspended telescopic booms, making it more versatile on construction sites with limited space (such as in refineries, plants, and city centers). What’s common to all these benefits is that they mean more efficiency for crane owners over the entire period of the crane’s use.

Evolving proven approaches

As well as its unique new Triple-Boom System, the ATF 600G-8 has many more features that make it even more economical. Because space is often limited on construction sites and the crane cannot always be supported in its full breadth, crane drivers can utilize asymmetric outrigger base control for the ATF 600G-8. This allows them to avoid unnecessary lifting capacity losses caused by a limited outrigger base. It uses length sensors to automatically determine the length of all four outriggers, and records the position of the superstructure on the basis of the angle of rotation. These two figures are sent to the crane control system, which then indicates the maximum permissible load. But – and this is what is special about it – it does so separately for each individual sector of the four outriggers. It divides up the entire 360-degree lifting area into four sectors, each of which can be maximized depending on the outrigger length. This allows you to make the best possible use of your ATF 600G8’s lifting capacity. The TADANO Soft-Stop safety feature prevents your driver from accidentally swinging a load into overload areas when turning.

We have evolved our tried-and-true AML crane control system and it now offers the ATF 600G-8 even more safety and noticeably more operating convenience. Crane drivers have two new color displays in the superstructure cab. The main display can be operated by touch, keys, or a rotary push button. It shows images from two cameras and can be electronically tilted to adjust to changing light conditions. The other display shows another camera view and can even be taken out to make it easier to use. But that’s not all. Your crane operator can decide which display they want to see information on. They can also call up new additional information about the crane’s various operating statuses, such as average diesel consumption, oil temperature, and hydraulic oil level.

TADANO has also focused on efficiency in the crane’s drive system. The new flagship is equipped with two separate engines (625 HP in the undercarriage and 354 HP in the superstructure). TADANO is the only crane manufacturer to remain true to this approach, delivering its products with superstructure and undercarriage engines all the way up to its 70 t class. The engines come from Mercedes-Benz and comply with the latest Euromot 4/Tier 4f exhaust standard.