Photo courtesy of Link-Belt

Davis Erecting Inc. of Greenville, S.C., utilized two of its 348 Series 2 crawler cranes with luffing attachments to piece together a precast schedule that covers all 11 floors of the new build, which includes commercial development, student housing, and three levels of parking.

Link-Belt Cranes' 300-ton 348 Series 2 lattice crawler cranes placed precast concrete panels as part a $170 million, 650,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use development on-campus at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.

Davis Erecting Inc. of Greenville, S.C., utilized two of its 348 Series 2 crawler cranes with luffing attachments to piece together a precast schedule that covers all 11 floors of the new build, which includes commercial development, student housing, and three levels of parking.

According to Scott Davis, president of Davis Erecting, the success of the project can be attributed to the capabilities and high-quality performance of Link-Belt machines.

"Link-Belt has been our preferred crane supplier," Davis said. "We've had a long and enjoyable relationship with Link-Belt. It all comes down to the personnel. The folks at Link-Belt and Atlantic & Southern Equipment, our distributor, have always had our back and continue putting out good products."

Davis added a second 348 Series 2 to its fleet in 2023 and used both on the project for their outstanding reliability and capacity to tandem pick the concrete panels, weighing up to 50,000 lbs.

Both cranes were fitted with 240 ft. of luffing boom and 120 ft. of luffing jib, proving themselves invaluable in efficiently completing the project due to their superior performance capabilities, the company said.

Features like a self-assembling quick-draw cylinder and counterweight removal system help install two lower counterweights and all 13 pieces of upper counterweight on the crane. The counterweight system is designed to be easy to handle and transport, including easy-to-access connection links and remote control operation, which allows for counterweight install and removal to be done from the ground.

The new boom top section is flexible and allows for conventional and luffing boom configurations, as well. Assembly is simplified with bar pendants connecting the main boom, luffing jib, and luffer backstay and storage for backstay bar pendants, offering faster and more cost-effective switching to a luffing attachment, which includes a hook and pin luffing jib base.

During the construction of the precast building, Davis operator Scotty Adams said the 348 Series 2 was an ideal machine for the job. Adams lifted the panels nearly 150 ft. in the air with the luffing attachment, finding the crane's multifunction and fine metering features particularly useful.

"Adjusting the speed smoothly when you're getting near the top is great," said Adams, who has been operating cranes for over 28 years. "The whole setup is smooth. I barely move my hand, and it goes right where I need it to be."

For more information, visit www.linkbelt.com.

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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