First New Model Kato City Crane Delivered in Australia

Tasmanian company Cranes Combined recently took delivery of the new Kato CR-250Rv city crane. It is the first of the new model to be delivered in Australia. 

Chris Kolodziej Managing Director of Cranes Combined discussed the important role small capacity cranes play in the business and the reasons for bringing the 25t capacity crane to Tasmania.

“Like most crane hire businesses, we have always had a number of smaller capacity cranes in our fleet. They are ideal for general hire, taxi work and managing lifts on sites where access is limited. For example, we’ve had an exceptional run with the Kobelco RK70s over many years; they have been great performers for our business, and they were way ahead of their time with surprisingly good load charts”, said Kolodziej.

“When we purchased Statewide Cranes, we expanded our capabilities and our fleet in Hobart grew considerably. They were already running a 13t capacity Kato city crane and last year we bought a new Kato CR-140RF because the Kobelcos were getting older, and it was time to upgrade. More recently we were looking to purchase a new 20t city crane but came across the Kato CR-250Rv as an alternative. Although the machine was larger in terms of dimensions, the load chart was far superior and this crane now gives us excellent capabilities in restricted areas, confined work sites etc. If this crane cannot access a site, then our existing 13t Katos will come into the picture. The performance of the Kato brand over an extended period of time has been first rate”, said Kolodziej.

“The first 13t Kato recently had its 10-year inspection, has been repainted and now presents as new. After purchasing the second, both continue to perform to our high expectations. The 25t capacity will complement the smaller city crane in the Hobart depot”, he said.

Kolodziej goes on to highlight where the city cranes fit into the Cranes Combined fleet and the types of applications they are suited for.

“The city cranes are particularly useful on jobs which are quite hard to access. It’s these applications where they really come into their own. They have far less tail swing when slewing, and this is a limiting factor on some of the sites in the tighter city areas. The fact that the fly jib is so easy to install in restricted areas is also an added advantage”, he said.

Kato CR-250Rv City Crane

The CR-250Rv is the flagship of the Kato city crane range, complementing the CR-200Rf and the CR-130Rf.

Peter Lawgall Business Development Manager for Cranes at Tutt Bryant Equipment went through the significant changes in the new Kato CR-250Rv that is expected to turn heads on its arrival.

“As the largest city crane available in the Australian market, the CR-250Rv will take the Kato city crane range to a whole new level. The focus with this new model is on strength, technology, safety, speed of operation and ease of operation in small space”, said Lawgall.

The newly released crane is supported with a full Kato factory warranty and national support through the extensive service and spare parts network of Tutt Bryant Equipment.

The CR-250Rv features a new boom and jib “EJIB” which is designed for deployment in very narrow spaces. It is the first CR model mobile crane equipped with the EJIB which is based on the Kato 4S concept. The 4S concept stands for:

• Slant Boom
• Safety
• Speedy
• Small Space

Two of the crane’s biggest features are the EJIB mechanism and a hydraulic luffing and telescoping fly which takes a single operator 10 minutes to ‘swing’. Ordinarily, you are looking at two workers for a great deal longer to swing a standard luffing fly because everything is manual. Set up time is 10 minutes for a single operator.

New Fully Hydraulic Fly Jib

The Kato Super Luffing Fly Jib were previously only available on the 35t city crane model (Japanese domestic model). It is now fitted as standard on the CR-250Rv, bringing the maximum rated lifting height, boom plus jib to 38.4m. The fly jib hydraulically telescopes from 5.3m to 8.2m and can be mounted within a 5.7m area from the slew centre. It is fully powered and can be telescope and offset under 100 per cent load.

Ergonomic Cab

The Kato CR-250Rv cab is designed with an all-round view and provides outstanding operator comfort with the hydro-pneumatic suspension. It has a built-in IC tag to ensure high-level security and reduce the risk of crane theft.

According to Lawgall, there are a number of important safety features included on the CR-250Rv. “The Kato Automatic Crane System (ACS) is an automatic safety device feature that instantly responds to any direct changes in various operating configurations. It has a range of limiting functions that increase safety during operation. With its high-intensity colour LCD, the new ACS makes operations easier as it provides illustrated key switches, enabling quick identification of their functions for each operations”, he said.

The Kato CR-250Rv has safety features that enhance safety during driving and/or crane operation, therefore minimises the risk of incidents. The safety features include:

• The surround view camera – display real-time 360-degree birds-eye view to the operator
• Human detect assist system – detect people near the crane that are not visible to the operator
• Anti-lock braking system (ABS) – further enhance braking power and significantly reduces braking distance especially on slippery surfaces

Touch Screen (COR) Display – Data Logger

Touch screen (COR) display is a coloured display showing various types of information including:

• Fuel consumption
• Operations time etc

“The touch screen display, data logger also provides a range of functions include the ECO switch which saves fuel by adjusting for optimum work engine speed during crane operation. During non-operation, the hydraulic pump outlet and fuel consumption are also greatly reduced thanks to the Auto-Minimum-Control adoption”, said Lawgall.

“The screen is massive giving the operator terrific all-round vision of the site. In my opinion this crane really is the next level for the city class cranes, as most models haven’t changes in such a long time. The CR-250Rv really is a quantum leap forward in terms of operators confidence, comfort and safety”, he said.

Optional Features

The Kato CR-250Rv city crane offers optional features such as the two positional offset Searcher Hook – a breakthrough feature for inserting operations, it performs best where the height is limited including such as warehouses, balconies and soffits; Other optional features include anemometer, tyre pressure monitoring system, door visor, lunch table, resin/aluminium outrigger plate and storage, and remote control camera cleaner.

“The Kato CR-250Rv is a gamechanger because it’s the first 25t city class crane to be exported out of Japan. This is a completely new model engineered from the ground up, not just an upgraded chart from a smaller model. The 25t model fits nicely in between Kato’s existing CR-200Rf (20t capacity) and larger all terrains”, said Lawgall.

Kato CR-250Rv City Crane Technical Specifications

Maximum Lifting Capacity: 25t x 2.8m

Boom Length: 6.7m – 29.0m (six sections)

Jib Length: 5.3m – 8.2m (two sections, hydraulic telescoping & luffing)

Engine: Cummins B6.7  (EU Stage5)

Overall Length: 9.195m

Overall Width: 2.395m

Overall Height: 3.495m

Gross Vehicle Weight: 23,795kg

Front Axle Weight: 11,895kg

Rear Axle Weight: 1,900kg

Source: Cranes & Lifting Magazine
Photographs: Cranes & Lifting Magazine / Cranes Combined
Product Image: Tutt Bryant

Click here to learn more about our Kato cranes product range.

For further information please contact:
Peter Lawgall
Business Development Manager (Cranes)
(07) 3373 6400
0411 256 388
peter.lawgall@tuttbryant.com.au