by Richard Cosgrove | Wed 06 Nov 2024
SANY redefines heavy lifting
On October 31, SANY made history by delivering the world's first 9-axle, 4,000-tonne all-terrain crane, the SAC40000T, to a Chinese hoisting company. Designed with the largest lifting capacity on the fewest axles, this crane sets a new benchmark in the industry.
The SAC40000T features 81m full-extension boom plus 124m jib, tailored specifically for wind turbine installation. It’s equipped with 350t counterweights and offers a max. lifting height of 200m. It can lift 375t to 100m high at 18m radius, and 200t to 185m high at 30m radius—ideally suited to the demands of next-generation turbines.
In describing the crane’s development, the product manager shared, "We know there’s a growing need for powerful, precise equipment to drive clean energy forward. Current 2000t class can handle 7-8MW turbines. But 10-13MW turbines over the next 5-10 years? That’s why we bring 4,000t AT to the table. Prioritizing a compact, powerful design with fewer axles, we’ve enhanced its flexibility and ease of travel on rugged, mountainous terrain.”
Built on a 9-axle 22m long chassis—the shortest in its class—this crane has a 16m steering radius, the smallest of any comparable model. With a robust 6+2 dual-drive system, it achieves a gradeability of up to 18%, enabling it to navigate slopes even with boom onboard. Custom heavy-duty axles and 605 tyres also allow it to travel on-site with superlift structure attached, giving it an edge in efficiency and terrain adaptability.
Designed for rapid assembly, the SAC40000T completes single-side superlift setup and disassembly in under an hour. Its advanced reeving-aid winch system brings reeving time down to under 70 minutes. When installed with 76m jib and under, the boom can luff up without auxiliary equipment, and with its dual-winches, it lifts 230t loads to 170m in under 25 minutes, accelerating workflow in high-demand situations.
With intelligent boom status monitoring and active control systems, the SAC40000T ensures safety during ultra-long boom operations. Real-time side-bending angle monitoring alerts operators to potential hazards, while a new signal receiver increases signal stability by 20%. An upgraded high-capacity battery also doubles the crane’s operational endurance.
Achieving the capacity of 4,000-tonne without expanding the chassis, SANY's SAC40000T represents a milestone in heavy lifting, setting a new standard for high-capacity, compact all-terrain cranes with its record-breaking 9-axle configuration and class-leading maneuverability.
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