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Zenith Tech, a member of the Walbec Group, recently undertook a project on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail, a 52-mile path between Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. This project involved rehabilitating a pedestrian/bike bridge across Rock Lake near Lake Mills, a structure built on an old railroad bed. The bridge's failing piers necessitated the construction of new, more secure supports.
The construction team involved faced significant challenges, including navigating a narrow path to the site and avoiding the bridge itself. The solution was the Tadano GTC-2000 telescopic boom crawler crane, rented from Reynolds Equipment LLC.
“We knew we needed a crane that was large enough to do the work we needed, yet also small enough to get in here due to the size of the trail,” emphasized Construction Manager Steve Firari. “It had to have the ability to walk the approximately quarter mile on the path and stay out of the tree canopy. Once at the site, it had to be able to sit in one spot and have enough reach, capacity and power to pick up the beams, then swing the beams at about a 144-foot radius and drive them into the ground. The Tadano GTC-2000 was the ideal choice with its mobility, tracks, boom and everything else considered.”
Zenith Tech collaborated closely with Reynolds Equipment LLC, to rent the 200-ton-capacity telescopic boom crawler crane. This crane features an adjustable track width (ranging from approximately 15 to 24 feet) that can be configured symmetrically or asymmetrically, making it ideal for applications in confined spaces. Additionally, its low ground pressure makes it a perfect choice for sensitive sites like the Glacial Drumlin State Trail.
“We considered alternatives, but nothing gave us everything we needed like the Tadano did,” Firari said. “We pulled the tracks in to walk the path, then put them back out to full width once we got to the pad that we built for it to sit on. An added advantage was that we could put the boom on, then walk it back to the site with the boom extended out in front. It would not have been feasible to walk it back and put the boom on because there just wasn’t enough room.”
Reynolds Equipment delivered the self-erecting crane in five loads, and the setup was quick and efficient.
“Setup is fast and easy, and we knew it would be going in because this is our second time renting a 2000 from Reynolds Equipment,” Zenith Tech Equipment Manager, Kyle Ehley, concluded.
