Tadano Demag has released the new AC 450-7 all terrain crane, a seven-axle machine with a series of forward-looking solutions and impressive technical specifications.
When developing the AC 450-7, Tadano Demag wanted to “give wheels” to a more powerful alternative to its existing six-axle cranes, with the objective to keep it as compact as its counterparts despite the additional axle, all while combining that with significantly better performance. In terms of its dimensions, the AC 450-7 has a carrier length of just 52.5 ft., a 27.7 ft. outrigger base, and a total length of 57.8 ft.
“In other words, it doesn’t need more space than a six-axle crane at a work site, and yet it offers significantly better lifting capacities,” says Demag Product Marketing Manager Michael Klein. But why seven axles to begin with? “Simple: The only way for the machine to be street-legal and meet our goals of having a longer boom and larger lifting capacities was for it to run on seven axles,” Klein explains.
Despite mostly identical dimensions, the new AC 450-7 features considerably better performance characteristics when compared to cranes with six axles. It features a 262.5 ft. main boom with a maximum lifting capacity of up to 212.8 USt. If the main boom’s length is not sufficient, it can be extended using a luffing jib with a maximum length of 265.7 ft. The crane’s maximum system length is 433 ft. The luffing jib can be “divided up” in 9.8 ft. segments from 78.7 to 265.7 ft.
In order to make it easier to transport the luffing jib, two system dimensions are used, making it possible to slide the extension’s individual parts into each other. The patented luffing jib rigging system makes setup fast, simple, and safe – a design that the new AC 450-7 shares with the Demag AC 300-6, AC 350-6, and AC 1000-9 models. The AC 450-7 is versatile when it comes to extension matters – in addition to the luffing jib, Tadano Demag also offers fixed jib configuration even with an offset section, as well as a runner.
New SSL Superlift Design
The SSL Sideways Superlift system not only makes the new AC 450-7 part of the large crane category at Tadano Demag, but also means that the latter will represent more than one debut. Tadano Demag is using its new engineering design for the Sideways Superlift system for the first time ever on the AC 450-7. This design is a critical enhancement to the well-known Demag SSL solution, with the Superlift arms now being mounted all the way in the front, on the head of the base section, meaning that they are longer and well-suited to larger lifting capacities. The AC 450-7 can lift 80.6 USt at a radius of 30 ft. when equipped with a 196.2 ft. main boom with an SSL configuration, 39.7 USt at a 48 ft. radius when the boom is telescoped out completely to a length of 262.5 ft., and an outstanding 14.5 USt at a radius of 160 ft. with this configuration.
However, the new Superlift design not only offers more powerful performance, but also better functionality and handling. The design only requires one single wire rope line for the connection between the main boom head and the SSL arm. In addition, the SSL arms are pinned hydraulically on the main boom, which reduces manual work for securing the arms and the associated work at height.
Improved Counterweight Design
The maximum counterweight for the AC 450-7 is 165 USt. It consists of a 22 USt base plate and redesigned counterweight plates that have been optimized in terms of swing radius, which is 18.4 ft. The counterweight plates are available as 11 USt plates, 5.5 USt plates, or a combination of the two, with the goal being to enable customers to optimize their transportation logistics.
The base plate can be set up from the front, which is beneficial at work sites where space is tight and the corresponding transportation truck can only be positioned in front of the crane. In addition, there is an optional counterweight frame available that can be used to increase the swing radius in order to further increase the lifting capacity – especially when using an SSL configuration. Also, Tadano Demag offers various adapters that make it possible for customers to keep using existing counterweight slabs from other larger AC or CC models with their new AC 450-7.
Demag Surround View
At 27.7 ft., the outrigger base is also at the level of a six-axle crane. The AC 450-7 has five different outrigger widths, which means that the Demag crane has greater site flexibility, particularly in confined construction site conditions.
The new optional Demag Surround View makes it easier for the crane operator to position the AC 450-7 at the jobsite. This patented system uses six cameras to display the possible outreach of the outriggers as well as the tail swing radius at the current position of the crane in a computer-aided display.
Demag Surround View also supports the driver on the way to the construction site. The cameras can deliver images of the crane side areas when turning, facilitating the driver to detect cyclists, pedestrians, or any obstacles. This function is activated automatically when the indicator is operated.
Once the best location has been found, the IC-1 Plus control system provides maximum available lifting capacity, as it determines the crane’s lifting capacity for every boom position as a function of the superstructure’s slewing angle in real time. This means that the maximum available lifting capacity can be used with any outrigger configuration, including asymmetrical. In addition to the IC-1 Plus control system, the crane is available with the IC-1 Remote, making it possible to remotely read and diagnose all important crane data.