The 298 Series 2 has a maximum lifting radius of 210 ft. (62.4 m) with 200 ft. (60.9 m) of main boom and 60 ft. (18.28 m) of jib at 20 degrees offset.

General contractor Messer Construction of Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded the contract for a new $27 million Andrew J. Brady ICON Music Center to be built in downtown Cincinnati.

When completed, the music center will have an indoor capacity of 4,500 and outdoor seating for 8,000. The venue is being constructed on top of an already completed two-story parking garage built by Hamilton County.

Superior Steel Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn., was contracted to place 304 tons of precast concrete and 464 tons of steel for the job.

In order to complete setting of steel and precast on a tight jobsite location at the corner of Elm Street and Ohio River Scenic Byway, Superior opted to use its 250-ton (227-t) Link-Belt 298 Series 2 lattice crawler crane with an offset jib. The 298 Series 2 has a maximum lifting radius of 210 ft. (62.4 m) with 200 ft. (60.9 m) of main boom and 60 ft. (18.28 m) of jib at 20 degrees offset.

"We are erecting a steel structure on top of an existing concrete two-story parking garage. The Link-Belt 298 is setting precast on top of steel trusses that are 120 ft. long. We have a suspended catwalk system that hangs below the trusses for the stage portion of the theater," said Jack Freytag, foreman of Superior Steel Inc.

Precast concrete sections weighing up to 24,000 lbs. (10,886 kg) were unloaded on the south end of the job site near the Link-Belt 298 Series 2. The Link-Belt then lifted the precast concrete sections as high as 100 ft. (30.4 m) up and over the existing steel structure and placed them at a radius of up to 210 ft. (64 m) on the opposite side of the job site.

Once setting the precast concrete was complete, the 298 Series 2 was disassembled and re-assembled on the opposite north side of the jobsite to place the remaining steel.

"We started tearing the crane down on a Friday afternoon and we were back to hanging steel on Saturday. Everything breaks down easily and where I'm at in the crane now I don't even have to move, I'm cribbed up and can reach everything from here," said Superior Steel Inc. operator Brad "Bugs" Bingham.

When relocating the 298 Series 2, Superior Steel added an additional 10 ft. (3.04 m) of main boom to give it 210 ft. (64 m) of main boom, keeping the 60 ft. (18.28 m) jib and increasing the crane's radius to 220 ft. (67 m), good for 9,000 lbs. (4,082 kg) at that reach.

For more information, visit www.linkbelt.com.

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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