Tadano’s 650-tonne capacity CC 38.650-1 has been deployed at a Peruvian copper mine for the first time, with Peruvian crane service provider Grúas & Transportes San Lorenzo using it to set up a 247-tonne section of a conveyor belt at the mine.

CC 38.650-1 gets Peruvian copper mine debut 1

Source: Tadano

The Carro Verde mine sits at an altitude of 2,700 m.

“The reason we decided on the extremely versatile CC 38.650-1 for this gruelling job was the fact that it’s an incredibly powerful and rugged machine that can handle the kind of conditions you find at this type of mine day in, day out,” explained Tadano technical training instructor Sönke Eichhorn. “The crane’s design is cleverly and systematically optimised for transportation, so it was relatively easy to bring the unit to what ultimately was a work site that is normally difficult to access.”

Initially, the crane was shipped from Germany to the port of Callao in Peru. Then, it was taken to Grúas & Transportes San Lorenzo’s facilities in Arequipa, before continuing with 28 trucks to the Cerro Verde mine, which sits at an altitude of 2,700 m. Prior to this, the Tadano team had to have a medical examination to ensure that they were fit and well enough to deal with the harsh environment.

Eichhorn, alongside three of his Tadano co-workers, used the job as an opportunity to set up the crane together with personnel from Grúas & Transportes San Lorenzo – meaning that setup time was longer than usual. The crawler crane was fully set up at the mine with an SSL 1 configuration which included an 84-m main boom, Vario-SL system, ramshorn hook block, 225 tonnes of counterweight, and 245 tonnes of counterweight.

CC 38.650-1 gets Peruvian copper mine debut 2

Source: Tadano

Along with the altitude, Tadano’s team had to battle with extreme heat during the days and freezing temperatures at night.

With a Tadano AC 5.220-1 deployed as an auxiliary crane to assist in the assembly of the CC 38.650-1, the latter then placed the first 80 m-long, 247-tonne section of the conveyor belt on two previously erected supports. This process is to be repeated several times until the conveyor belt has been fully assembled with its complete length of 900 m and reached the bottom of the mine.

“We have more than enough work for it,” said Grúas & Transportes San Lorenzo service manager Victor Condori, with the crawler crane to remain at the site for a further five years. “We’re tremendously grateful that Sönke and his colleagues went all in to help us set up the CC 38.650-1 for the first time ever despite the tough conditions at our mine.”

Last week, HLPFI reported that Sotrama had taken delivery of an AC 5.250L-2 all-terrain crane from Tadano.

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