26
RIGGINGREVIEW
ACT
MAY 2014
Did you ever envision a
day when synthetic rope
would replace traditional
wire rope on a crane?
That day has come.
be reduced, reeving time and effort
canbe reduced, anddependingon the
application and crane type, you could
even see an increase to the load chart of
the crane,”he said.
While the first applicationof thenew
rope is on anewRTmodel,Manitowoc
envisionswidening theusageof the rope
on futurenewmodels andon existing
cranes.Manitowocwill offer a retrofit
package to allow existingmobile crane
models toutilize KZ™100 synthetic rope.
Roped in
also contributes to its performance
characteristics. Its constructionprovides
a firm cross section that enables efficient
multi-layer spooling, prevents load spin,
bird caging andpermanent damagedue to
improper spooling. The result is a crane
hoist line that is easy and safe to reeve,
moredurable for spooling and can reduce
weight in theoverall system, according to
ChristopherBratthauar, director of global
marketing,ManitowocCranes.
Thegoalwas tobring a technology
to the crane industry that is completely
new andbrings benefits to the enduser,
in terms of easeof use, cost savings
and safety. Bratthauar said reception
toKZ™100 has been “overwhelmingly
positive.”
“Customers anddealers immediately
recognized thenumerous benefits this
ropeoffers them such as lighterweight, no
load spin and easyhandling and reeving,”
he said.
Gaining acceptance
Manitowoc andSampson envision the
acceptanceofKZ™100 tobe similar to
thewidespread acceptance andusageof
synthetic slings in rigging.
“Synthetic slings are an excellent
comparison for KZ™100,” saidBratthauar.
“I think synthetichoist ropewill gain
acceptance inamuch shorter timeperiod
for a few reasons. First, thanks to the
widespreaduseof synthetic slings in
rigging, craneowners are familiarwith
syntheticmaterials. Second,with today’s
advances in communication,we can
quicklyanddecisivelydemonstrate the
benefitsof synthetichoisting rope for
mobile craneapplications.”
WhileManitowochashadpositive
reaction to theKZ™100 rope,Quinn
expectsmixed response as the first cranes
with thenew ropemake theirdebut.
“In anynew introduction, youhave
the early adopters and fast followers and
youhave thosewhoholdon to theolder
technologies,”he said. “AtConExpo,
manypeoplewalkedup as a skeptic and
a largeportionwalked away realizing the
potential of thenew technology.”
Thanks to the lowerweight of the rope,
manybenefits canbe imagined, he said.
“There are certainly advantages that
customerswill realizewhenusing
KZ™100. Transportationweightswill
C
ranedesignhas come a long
way in thepast 50years, but
one thing that has remained
constant is theutilizationofwire rope in
thehoist system.
Until this year, that is,whenManitowoc
Cranes, in conjunctionwithFerndale,
WA-basedSamson, introducedKZ™100
synthetichoist rope. Thenew rope
was oneof themost talked about
developments atConExpo2014 inLas
Vegas,where KZ™100was launchedon
a70-ton capacityGroveRT770E rough
terrain crane.
KZ™100 ismade from a combinationof
high-performance synthetic fibers that
provide strength similar to traditional
wire ropebut is 80percent lighter.
“The increased strengthof thesehigh
modulus fibers allows the rope tomeet
themaximum linepull requirements
ofmobile cranes,” saidMichaelQuinn,
director, newmarket development,
Samson. “Aproprietary coatinghas
been added toKZ™100 to improve rope
performance in cyclicbendover sheave
applications inherent onmobile cranes.”
Thephysical structureofKZ™100
KZ™100 synthetic hoist ropemakes
its debut on the recently launched
ManitowocRT770E.
