Iowa Wind Farm uses Manitowoc Cranes to Aid in Construction

Several Manitowoc cranes and Grove cranes were used to erect 193 wind turbines at the Rolling Hills Wind Project, Massena, Iowa. Mortenson Construction, the main contractor working for project owner MidAmerican Energy, rented three Manitowoc 16000s (each with a wind attachment), two Manitowoc 14000s, two Manitowoc 888s, two Manitowoc 2250s, and several Grove cranes from Dawes Crane and Laramie Cranes for the job.

“The Manitowoc 16000s with the wind attachments are what we consider our main erection cranes,” said Steven Klatt, crane manager for Mortenson. “They have the capacity and reach for the heaviest and highest picks. The 2250s are our base cranes, and the 888s and 14000s are being used to build the rotors. During turbine erection, the Grove RTs are used for tailing as well as off-loading components from trucks.”

The Manitowoc 16000 has a maximum capacity of 440 tons and a maximum reach of 432 feet. To place the turbines on the 80 m towers, the 16000s were configured with 301.8 feet of main boom and 24.9 feet of upper boom with the wind attachment. The wind attachment is designed to increase the reach and capacity of the 16000 at a 59-foot radius.

*Article for Crane Hotline Magazine*

Bode Technical Services specializes in crane repair on Terex Cranes, Demag Cranes, Link-Belt cranes, Grove Cranes, Liebherr Cranes, and Krupp cranes. Beyond crane repair, Bode Technical Services also utilizes a global network of crane parts suppliers including PAT-Hirschmann, Load Systems International,Terex-Demag, Grove, Liebherr Cranes, and Greer