The market launch for the Tadano AC 2.040-1 is a world first in two ways. On one hand, it is the first all terrain crane to be developed jointly by Tadano’s Lauf and Zweibrücken locations in Germany. On the other, the AC 2.040-1 is the first member of the future Tadano AC family. This signals the completion of the announced brand merger as all Tadano Group cranes will be sold exclusively under the Tadano brand name.
“That’s why this market launch is really special for us – after all, the new AC 2.040-1 is the first crane to combine the best of our two worlds with the know-how from Zweibrücken and Lauf,” says Frank Schröder, All Terrain Crane Product Line VP. The AC 2.040-1 is part of the company’s innovation push, which will see 15 new crane models come onto the market in the next few years under the Tadano brand name.
Kicking off the new Tadano AC family
For the AC 2.040-1, the Tadano engineers from Lauf and Zweibrücken combined the best of both worlds. It features the innovative IC 1 Plus control system with automatic counterweight detection, a capacity radar, and a work area display. The system determines the crane’s lifting capacity for every boom position as a function of the superstructure’s slewing angle. This enables the AC 2.040-1 to always make use of the maximum available lifting capacity with any outrigger configuration, including asymmetrical ones. This advantage is literally maximized when combined with the Flex Base system, which makes it possible to extend the outriggers to any point within their range.
The crane features the Tadano Surround View camera system, which shows both the maximum possible extension lengths for the outriggers and the counterweight tailswing radius. As a result, Tadano Surround View makes it significantly easier to optimally position the crane at work sites. In addition, the system provides assistance on the way to the work site by making it easier for crane operators to notice pedestrians and cyclists when turning.
The crane also comes with the IC 1 Remote telematics solution, which makes efficient crane and fleet management possible and shows both the location of the AC 2.040-1 and all its operating information on the monitor. This system helps with scheduling projects and routine maintenance, ensuring that the crane will have the highest possible availability for assignments. Moreover, it can be used to read error codes so that service team members can read the corresponding data “remotely” and run fault analyses to quickly diagnose and fix problems.
The ESTA-award-winning E-Pack with its 32-kW electric motor is optionally available and enables the AC 2.040-1 to work whisper-quiet and with zero emissions indoors and at nighttime in residential areas, for example. This makes the two-axle crane the third Tadano AC to be compatible with the E-Pack, with the two others being the AC 3.045-1 City and the AC 4.080-1.
A maneuverable compact crane
The AC 2.040-1 offers an entire series of model-specific advantages. As a two-axle crane, it is compact and perfect for use at constrained work sites. The crane owes its exceptional maneuverability where space is tight due to several factors, including its steerable rear axle with automatic programs for extremely tight radii and crab steering.
The compact design with an optimized weight improves the new Tadano’s roadworthiness, giving it taxi crane capabilities. It can carry up to 1.1 tonnes of counterweight while staying under an axle load limit of twelve tonnes.
The AC 2.040-1 is classified as EU Stage V, undertaking the latest emission standards. In fact, its Cummins 310-hp (231-kW) diesel engine offers power reserves that provide both low fuel consumption and a long drive train service life.
The Tadano AC 2.040-1 crane embodies the heavy-duty construction and high reliability for which Lauf and its carriers are proud of. This is also reflected in the company’s decision to split production responsibilities between the two locations, with superstructures to be made in Zweibrücken and carriers in Lauf in the future. “This will allow us to take full advantage of the unrivaled carrier development and manufacturing know-how of our Lauf location,” says Schröder.
The AC 2.040-1 features a rear storage box, which has been carried over from the successful Tadano ATF 40G. The box continues to be available with or without a wood rack and is removable. “This solution is extremely popular among our customers, and we expect it to be a fixture in all future AC developments,” says Schröder.
Powerful two-axle crane
In terms of its lifting performance, the Tadano AC 2.040-1 raises the bar particularly when it comes to steep boom positions. With a fully extended boom length of 35.2 meters at a radius of eight meters, it can lift loads of up to 7.6 tonnes.
The powerful hydraulic boom makes it possible to take care of heavy lifts involving loads of up to 31.9 tonnes without requiring any additional sheaves. “This enables the AC 2.040-1 to take care of a very broad range of lifts without carrying out time-consuming setup changes, making it both a fast and versatile machine,” says Schröder.