The gap between the two biggest crane markets in the Western world, Europe and the USA, used to be ten percent: the difference between European load charts, which allow the crane to lift 75% of its working load, and the USA, which works at 85%.Now, disagreement over revisions to European crane design standard EN 13000 leaves the two regions worlds apart. The consequences are likely to complicate sales of new and used cranes worldwide, reports Will Dalrymple SOURCE: Cranes Today

A few years ago, German safety authorities blocked the passage of a comprehensive new standard for the design of cranes, EN 13000. They argued that operators could too easily override the safety system of the crane, the load moment indicator, by turning a key. This key switch, they felt, violated an essential safety principle and invalidated the entire standard.

Faced with the prospect of restarting years of design work, crane manufacturers in the Fédération Européene de la Manutention (FEM), including engineers from European crane manufacturers Grove, Tadano-Faun, Liebherr, Demag and Locatelli attempted to come up with a compromise revision to replace the override key with a set-up button. When pressed, this button would give extra capacity, but the crane could only work at 15% of maximum speed. After further wrangling, the revision was finalised in January 2008.

US crane user trade association the Specialised Carriers & Riggers Association formed a task force to oppose the potential changes in January. The group was interested for three reasons. First, Europe is the home market for many manufacturers of mobile cranes. Second, the change would affect all mobile cranes that could be sold in Europe, including all terrain cranes, rough terrain cranes, truck cranes and crawler cranes. Third, the SC&RA said that there is a general safety principle at stake.

In an opposition white paper published in March, the association argued that the override limits would interfere with normal crane operations, and could cause safety problems. Summing up recently, Bill Stramer, Link-Belt vice-president, said: “On a fundamental basis, EN 13000 says that the LMI is not an operator aid, it is the operator. Our philosophy is, it is an operator aid. The operator is the operator.” Stramer was speaking at the April 2008 SC&RA annual conference in Bonita Springs, Florida.

There, task force member Rob Weiss, vice-president of Cranes, Inc., said: “Fifteen percent means ‘we don’t want you using the crane.’ It might as well be zero. Every day anti-two blocks and load cells fail. You can’t shut the cranes down every time they do.”

The association met with manufacturers and a representative of ESTA in two meetings during ConExpo to explain its position, and argue against the changes for cranes sold in the USA. “This was the first time we had a frank exchange of views with the European community,” Weiss said. Continue reading “EN 13000 revision cuts the world in two (31 March 2008)” »