New Boom Inserts Give Manitowoc MLC300 Higher Reach

Aug. 10, 2022 – New inserts give users of Manitowoc’s MLC300 lattice-boom crawler cranes extra reach by lengthening the maximum boom to 429.8’ when used with the VPC-Max and extended upper boom point. The new configuration is particularly useful for assembling wind turbines.

 

Manitowoc is marketing the inserts as the Wide Boom Plus kit.

The height of utility-scale, land-based wind turbines has increased nearly 60% in the last two decades. In the U.S., they averaged 295’ tall in 2020, and they’re expected to keep getting taller in order to harness stronger winds.

The new Manitowoc boom inserts enable the 386-USt MLC300 to construct the increasingly tall wind towers.

Brennan Seeliger, Manitowoc’s product manager for crawler cranes, said wind turbine work above 295’ currently requires a 450-USt or larger crane, which can result in higher costs for operation and transportation.

“Our new boom inserts will open up more jobs for our crawler crane owners,” he said. “They will increase utilization of our MLC300 crane with added flexibility. Where before crane operators would need to bring in a larger crane to reach heights above 295’, now they’re able to employ their MLC300 with [the new] boom inserts and take advantage of increased reach from its smaller footprint.”

The new Wide Boom Plus inserts kit for the Manitowoc MLC300 crawler crane is now available everywhere Manitowoc cranes are sold.

For more information on the MLC300 and its boom extension options, click here.