March 2010, Work Truck - Feature
P&H Deploys New-Generation Crane Technology
A partnership between P&H Mining Equipment, Stellar Industries, and Equipment Upfitters allows P&H crane operators to safely lift and move heavy equipment without fear of overload.
By Chad Simon
CDT Alleviates Overloads
Stellar Industries, Inc., based in Garner, Iowa, developed the CDT system two years ago, according to Tim Davison, product manager for bodies and cranes. It's important for anybody lifting heavy equipment to understand their position when placing a load to avoid an overload situation, said Davison. If such a situation occurs, the crane will "lock up and then stop," he explained.
With the CDT system, once a crane goes into overload, operators can engage a temporary boost, which for one minute allows the operator to go to nearly 120 percent capacity while slowing down the speed, alleviating the overload condition.
"In today's world, operators lift until the crane stops, and they don't know whether or not they've hit overload because there are no indicators to let them know if they're getting closer," Davison said. "Stellar CDT-equipped cranes inform users on their handheld device that they're getting closer to overload and once they go into overload, we give them another 20 percent to allow them to get out in a safe manner."
Modify Lifting Techniques
Historically, when a problem occurs - a connector comes loose or the operator loses electrical connections to a load-monitoring device - the crane continues to operate, creating the potential for overloading. Stellar's enhanced safety system for monitoring equipment load puts the crane into safe mode if it detects an error code. In the safe mode, the crane operates at 100-percent lifting capacity, but at reduced speed.
According to Davison, CDT signals to end users when they're going into an overload situation so they can modify their lifting techniques. Once overloading occurs, operators must decide where to set the load down immediately. The Stellar CDT provides additional options for load placement prior to an overload situation. This benefit helps productivity because it takes time to set up the truck and turn the crane around for lifting.
With Stellar CDT-equipped cranes, operators can better gauge the weight of a lifted object and set up the truck more effectively for future lifts.
"We take a lot of the guesswork out of whether your safety items are working, and we put a smart diagnostics feature into the crane to monitor their safety devices to make sure they're working properly," Davison said.
Partnering Works for P&H
Salt Lake City-based Equipment Upfitters, the Stellar Industries dealer, has worked with P&H for the past seven years on truck specifications. Equipment Upfitters calculates specs based on the application or location of the CDT-equipped vehicle, outlines the specification, and submits it to P&H.
With new dynamics taking place in the industry, Equipment Upfitters strives to offer the latest technology, according to owner Brian Baskett.
For instance, if a client requests a chassis upfit, Equipment Upfitters drop-ships the chassis to its factory and upfits it with the body and crane. In addition, the company performs maintenance on P&H's trucks and installs GPS units.
"It's really a partnership program we have between Stellar, P&H, and Equipment Upfitters. Because of our solid partnership, we are able to successfully communicate P&H safety needs, which is the primary factor," Baskett said. "We're also looking at being green and creating products friendly to the environment. We're looking to reduce emissions, cost, and engine wear and tear by using auxiliary power options to operate the equipment."
In the meantime, Butsch is also considering utilization of the CDT-equipped cranes at P&H operations in Canada.