Improved flexibility and class-leading lift height for new Igo

A new Potain self-erecting crane with class-leading lifting height and flexible configuration options made its debut at bauma 2013. Owners of the new Igo M 14 can adjust the crane’s configuration at their yard before dispatching it to a job site, making set up time even shorter.

Vincent Milan, senior product manager for self-erecting cranes at Manitowoc, said the increased working height in particular had already been received well by prospective customers.

“At 19 m, the Igo M 14 offers an additional 3 m of lifting height compared to the cranes it’s replacing,” he said. “That’s a real advantage as it allows the crane to work at more projects. We expect this crane will be popular with a lot of roofing contractors and house builders, and from speaking with them, they have already given us very favorable feedback on the extra lifting height.”

The new Igo M 14 replaces the Igo MA 13, Igo MB 13 and Igo MC 13 in the Potain product line. The MA 13, MB 13 and MC 13 each offered unique design characteristics in terms of lift performance, dimensions and transport, which Manitowoc has now combined into two crane versions. Manitowoc’s new Igo M 14 can adjust its design for better lift performance or smaller on-site radius as single version, while a second version, which can be towed behind a 7.5 t truck, is also available.

There are two positions for the counterweight on the Igo M 14, one closer to the mast for more compact dimensions on site, and one further from the mast, which gives the crane better lifting capabilities. For better lifting performance, the counterweight on the Igo M 14 must be fitted further from the mast, giving the crane a swing radius of 2.5 m. In this configuration, the crane can lift a maximum of 1.8 t or 0.6 t out to its full radius of 22 m, and it has excellent lifting abilities across the entire load chart.

For more compact dimensions on site, the counterweight can be set to a radius of 2 m. This must be done using a support crane, and should be done before the crane is transported to site. In the narrower 2 m radius configuration, the Igo M 14 can lift a maximum of 1.8 t but the full radius capacity at 22 m reduces to 0.5 t. In both the short radius and full radius configurations the crane has 5.1 t of counterweight. And in both configurations, the height under hook for the crane is 19 m, more than the its predecessors and more than any equivalent crane in this capacity class.

Vincent Milan added:

“We have replaced three cranes from our range of mobile Igo cranes, with one new model,” he said. “So customers can handle more jobs with one crane, plus we’ve also improved the capabilities of this new crane compared with its predecessors and also with what’s available elsewhere on the market.”

An adjusted version of the Igo M 14 will also be offered that is designed to be towed behind a 7.5 t truck. This version will particularly appeal to customers in Germany, where no special license (other than a standard car driving license) is required to drive vehicles of up to 7.5 t. In addition, the regular Igo M 14 offers two options for travel. For movement around site, and carrying all equipment, the Igo M 14 can move at speeds of up to 25 km/h. For movement on the highway, the crane can be configured to travel at speeds of up to 80 km/h.