Hoffman Acquires Largest Mobile Truck Crane In Country
Unveiling the largest mobile crane in the country for
work in the Port of New York are, left to right: Henry
Harnischfeger, president of Harnischfeger Corporation, the
crane manufacturer; Harry L. Hoffman, chaiman of
Hoffman Rigging & Crane Service, the owner of the
machine; and Clifford B. O'Hara, director of port com-
merce for the Port of New York Authority.
As world shipping rushes into containeriza-
tion, it is prompting the development of in-
creasingly large and swift dockside equipment
to expedite the movement of the giant boxes.
The largest of this new equipment is the
largest truck crane ever produced in the United
States. Made by Harnisohfeger Corporation of
Milwaukee with rated capacity of 250 tons, it
can stow 17 to 19 containers per hour below
deck and up to 25 boxes per hour on deck, de-
pending on conditions. Its boom can be
lengthened to 320 feet plus 80 feet of jib.
Demonstrated at Port Newark, N.J., by Hoff-
man Rigging & Crane Service, Inc., specialists
in cargo and container handling who operate
in Western Hemisphere ports along the At-
lantic Seaboard and in the Caribbean, the new
crane proved its capacity for handling 40-foot
containers as they are put into general use.
It is expected to add needed container-han-
dling muscle to major ports, complementing
existing gantries, as well as to give secondary
ports containerization capacity.
"With the new P&H Model 6250-TC Truck
Crane, container-handling capacities of ports
can be increased significantly," said Harry L.
Hoffman Jr., chairman of the equipment rental
organization, "and our company is prepared
to offer this type of equipment and service,
on a rental basis, throughout the world. In
addition to container handling," Mr. Hoffman
added, "the new crane will enhance the heavy
lift capability of the Port of New York as well
as other ports." He noted the two special fea-
tures, consisting of a special container-han-
dling tip for leveling uneven boxes, and an
elevated cab that were designed into the Hoff-
man machine particularly for maritime work.
In addition, Hoffman has installed a computer
load-sensing device to increase operational
safety.
At the demonstration, Clifford O'Hara, di-
rector, port commerce, Port of New York Au-
thority, traced the growing worldwide trend
to containerization.
Ray Morgan, general manager, Construction
Equipment Division, of Harnischfeger, de-
scribed the new crane's features: Rigged with
a heavy duty boom tip, the Model 6250-TC
can load 250 tons in a single pick as high as
70 feet up and 18 feet out. With a container-
The largest mobile truck crane in the United States dem-
onstrating its unique container-handling capability. An
elevated cab and a special container tip enables easy
leveling of an unbalanced container and the automatic
container spreader frame. This machine represents Hoff-
man Rigging Service's latest and most modern container-
handling mobile crane.
handling double boom tip, the crane can carry
containers of over 30 tons to the offshore side
of the vessel, at a 100-foot radius. It can move
around the entire port area to unload railroad
cars, group and stack cargo, and assist with
heavy construction and installations. By facili-
tating the vertical stacking of containers,
valuable dockside space can be saved.
The new crane's unique capacity will be util-
ized at dockside for the handling of heavy car-
goes, in addition to container loading, Mr.
Morgan said. For heavy lifts with the regular
crane tip, the crane can handle 120 tons at 40
feet, 100 tons at 45 feet, and 85 tons at 50 feet.
A new concept in power transmission and
controls employs the use of a modulated clutch
in line with a torque converter and a power
shift transmission. With this arrangement, the
operator can raise and lower the load on the
hook by merely turning his wrist or a twist
grip. Extra precision and safety in load place-
ment is achieved.
It is expected that advanced mobile truck
cranes such as the one demonstrated will pro-
vide an answer to the immediate needs of con-
tainer shipping ports around the world.
Raytheon Introduces New
Precision Depth Digitizer
A new precision depth digitizer has been in-
troduced by Raytheon Company's Submarine Sig-
nal Division, Portsmouth, R.I.
Model PDD-200A is designed to convert depth
data obtained from precision sounding systems in-
to digital information for automatic processing by
computer.
Novel features include a selection of feet, fa-
thoms, or meters; a print signal to the depth re-
corder that displays depth gate edge marks on the
chart paper; and an echo search function for
automatically widening the gate if an echo is lost.
The new unit can be mounted in a 19-inch rack
or in its own cabinet and is compatible with most
existing sounding equipment. A seven-segment
digital display permits real-time monitoring.
For more information on the PDD-200A and
other oceanographic equipment, write to Market-
ing Manager, Raytheon Company, Ocean Sys-
tems and Equipment Department, P.O. Box 360,
Portsmouth, R.I. 02871.
Effective August 1, the Export Division
Headquarters for Lufkin Industries, Inc., has
been moved from New York City to Houston,
Texas, according to R.L. Poland, president of
the Lufkin, Texas, manufacturer of oilfield
pumping units, commercial and marine gears
and truck trailers.
The change is in conjunction with the trans-
fer of Robert Gibbs, Lufkin's Export Division
manager, from New York City to Houston.
Offices will be at 1108 C&I Building, Houston,
Texas 77002, phone 713-222-0108.
Lufkin also announces the opening of a dis-
trict export office in Edison, N.J., effective
September 15, and replacing the office in New
York City. District manager T.L. Bowers will
handle oilfie'd sales, and H.J. Trout Jr. will
be district sales engineer in charge of gear
accounts. The address for the new office will
be 100 Menlo Park, Edison, N.J. 08817.
Also announced by Lufkin is the transfer of
John Fincher from Tripoli, Libya, to London,
England, where he is district manager of the
new export office at 123 Pall Mall, London
S.W. 1, England, and Robert Evans from New
York City to Singapore, where he is district
manager of the new export office at 126 Eng
Neo Avenue, Singapore 11, Singapore.
Other district export offices of Lufkin Over-
seas Corporation, S.A. are located at Maracaibo
and Anaco, both in Venezuela, and Bogota,
Colombia.
Dravo Corporation Delivering
20 Barges To Valley Line
Twenty covered hopper barges, enough to make
up a tow of 32,000 tons, are being delivered by
Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., to Chrom-
alloy American Corporation for its subsidiary,
The Valley Line Company of St. Louis. Delivery
of the 200-foot by 35-foot by 12-foot vessels will
be completed this fall.
Designed by Dravo for maximum stress resist-
ance and minimum maintenance, the barges will
also be equipped with weathertight hatch covers
for added cargo protection. They meet or exceed
the American Bureau of Shipping requirements
in all respects.
The Valley Line is one of the largest barge
lines operating on the inland waterways with its
fleet of over 700 barges and 20 towboats. It ser-
vices over 11-million tons of cargo per year on
the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Lufkin Export Headquarters
Moves From NYC To Houston
—Office Opened In New Jersey
Rojert Gibbs
John Fincher
T.L. Bowers
Robert Evans
40 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
Digital Wave Publishing