MAXbase: Finding room in a tight space

As job sites get increasingly compact, users want a solution that offers more flexibility in how they configure their Grove mobile crane. With Manitowoc’s MAXbase technology, that solution is here.

The MAXbase function on Grove all-terrain cranes is a great example of how innovative Manitowoc technology can deliver better performance from the same crane. MAXbase works by allowing users to position the crane’s outriggers in a wide variety of configurations, including asymmetric layouts. This enables them to select the optimum set-up for the job.

Without MAXbase, crane outriggers must extend to the same distance when setting up. The issue with this is that a particular job site might not have a uniform layout for crane positioning (for example, if less space is available on the right-side or left-side).

Andreas Cremer, vice president of product management for mobile cranes at Manitowoc, explains how MAXbase offers a workaround to this perennial problem.

“MAXbase makes asymmetric outrigger positioning possible. This maximizes a crane’s potential on constricted job sites, where obstacles can prevent outriggers from being fully extended,” he says. “MAXbase enables a greater variety of options for positioning the outriggers and removes the need for symmetry. It also provides improved load charts, allowing the crane to make better use of its full capacity. Ultimately, this means better rental rates for owners.”

The roll-out continues

Currently, MAXbase is available on 12 Grove all-terrain cranes, each of which has Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS). It works seamlessly with CCS on the Grove AT cranes, displaying the limit of MAXbase’s lifting capacity and providing load charts for each configuration. CCS also makes the set-up straightforward and intuitive for the operator with its boom configurator integrated into the crane’s menu navigation. For the 12 models that feature MAXbase, it can be retrofitted at any time, so there’s no problem if a customer decided against the addition at purchase.

Ahead of a project, users can also harness MAXbase in the outrigger pad load calculation tool on Manitowoc’s homepage or for more detailed planning using the CRANEbee lift planning tool to help with preparations.

MAXbase is proving such a popular option Manitowoc is extending the technology into its Grove rough-terrain cranes. Testing is underway to equip the Grove GRT8120 as the first rough-terrain crane model to feature MAXbase. It will include all the functionality that Grove all-terrain crane users experience, as John Bair, Manitowoc’s product manager for rough-terrain cranes, explains:

“With a traditional outrigger set-up for RT cranes, limited space forces users to set-up outriggers at a reduced span or send a higher capacity crane to the job site – even though they feature a compact design,” he says. “But with MAXbase, users know they are lifting to the maximum possible capability of the crane in that configuration. This allows them to increase utilization and lower overall project costs.”

Users of the GRT8120 with MAXbase will not only benefit from greater flexibility but also from MAXbase’s advanced lift calculation program that improves capacities over the 360° chart.

Customer focus

MAXbase is another great example of how under The Manitowoc Way, customers are seeing tangible increases in the earning power of their cranes. With this innovative feature set to appear on ever more Grove cranes in the future, users can look forward to even more flexibility from their Manitowoc fleets.

MAXbase advantages:

• Allows users to position the crane as close as possible to the lift
• Improves access to tight job sites
• Increased lift capacities across the 360° load chart
• Enlarges the work area thanks to sector-defined load curves
• More precisely identifies the need for a counterweight or jib, optimizing transport expenses
• Fully compatible with the CRANEbee lift planning tool by CRANIMAX