Wed December 28, 2005
Crane Equipment Guide
A Potain Igo MA13 self-erecting crane captivated customers on a recent demonstration tour of the Eastern U.S. The tour was sponsored by Manitowoc Crane Group dealer Shawmut Equipment.
Starting with an open house at Shawmut Equipment’s headquarters facility in Manchester, CT, Shawmut invited customers to see the MA13 being put through its paces. Following days were spent in Massachusetts, where Shawmut staged another open house day at its Norfolk facility. The crane was finally taken further north into Maine, ending Shawmut’s leg of the demonstration tour.
Kevin O’Connell, sales representative of self-erecting cranes at Shawmut Equipment, explained how the live demonstrations really gave the Igo MA13 a chance to shine.
“The Igo MA13 was well-received by all who attended the demonstrations. We were very pleased with turnouts,” he said. “A variety of existing crane rental customers came to see the Igo MA13, as did many new faces, particularly forklift truck and aerial work platform users. Many attendees saw the Igo MA13 as an excellent alternative to other lifting options.”
The crane’s ease of transportation, speed of set up, and dual voltage capabilities were seen as definite benefits according to the company.
Other factors of importance were the crane’s overall weight capacity of 2 tons (1.8 t), its ability to fold down to only to 34 ft. (10.5 m) — allowing the Igo MA13 to work in tight spaces — a 72-ft. (22 m) radius and an under hook height of 53 ft. (16 m), which gives the Igo MA13 a radius of 22 ft. (6.7 m) when equipped with its maximum load of 2 tons (1.8 t).
The Igo MA13 did not present any problems with roading restrictions in the states visited on the tour.
The Igo MA13 made its way down to Florida and Georgia, where a large amount of new homes are being built. In the South, many end users are using telehandlers for construction work.