The East End Transformation of the Danforth Campus is more than a construction project: It furthers the university’s mission and values, setting the course for the next era of academic excellence and service to society. (Washington University in St. Louis photo)

Custom Service Crane Inc. of Fisher, Ill., recently purchased two Link-Belt 90-ton (80-t) RTC-8090 Series II rough terrain cranes and a 110-ton (100-t) RTC-80110 Series II for East End expansion at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Construction began in 2017 at Danforth Campus and is on a fast track, time critical schedule for a 2019 completion.

Following 330,000 cu. yd. (252,303 cu m) of excavation, rough terrain cranes are used for handling rebar, rebar panels, panel forms and pouring concrete with a Garbro bucket to perimeter walls.

Jason Wibbenmeyer, operations manager at Custom Service Crane for St. Louis area, is quick to point out the advantage of the RTC-8090 Series II for its versatility by having three modular counterweights. Multiple counterweight configurations make transporting the machine more efficient by being able to use only one overflow load. Wibbenmeyer also pointed out another advantage for the Link-Belt RTC-80110 Series II crane is its ability to drive pilings with its full power boom design.

"These advantages mean more versatility to us, and more service to our customers," said Wibbenmeyer.

The three rough terrain cranes can easily move from one location to another on the project where multiple buildings are going up at the same time. Moving unwieldy 40 ft. (12.1 m) by 48 ft. (14.6 m) rebar panels requires the operator to hoist them up, over 50 degrees, and down into narrow passageways, calling for experience from the operator and smoothness from the crane.

The RTC-8090 Series II crane also is needed for its ability to lift panels and forms stored as far away as 120 ft. (36.5 m) and place them at a 115 to 117 ft. (35 to 35.6 m) radius with a boom angle of only 34 degrees. The RTC-80110 Series II can be switched out with the 90-ton rig, and do similar lifts, swinging another 90 degrees to lift rebar cages and forms for the many garage columns as far out as a 130 ft. (39.6 m) radius while having its entire main boom extended to 150 ft. (45.7 m). The crane's capability, working at that radius eliminates rig relocation or interference with other trades working on rebar panels and trucks delivering materials needed since storage or lay down space is extremely limited.

Jason Wibbenmeyer said that one of the decisions in choosing the Link-Belt cranes is service.

"We pride ourselves in our service to our customer and we feel that Link-Belt does the same," said Wibbenmeyer.

"When a machine breaks down it becomes a fire drill for us. It is our primary goal to get that machine up and running as fast as possible. We as a company work very hard to achieve that, with construction deadlines very tight we understand our customer cannot afford any down time.

"To do that, we need to have a crane manufacturer that can get the parts to us as soon as possible so we can get the machine up and running for our customer. That's why we choose Link-Belt cranes. We believe their service is great. The parts distribution center is close, so if we need a part, we can typically get it that day, if not then the next morning," Wibbenmeyer said.

Complete crane specifications are available at www.linkbelt.com.

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