Link-Belt Crawler Cranes Laying Groundwork For Massive Seattle Convention Center Expansion

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Three Link-Belt telescopic boom crawler cranes and two Link-Belt lattice boom crawler cranes are helping with an expansion of the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. (Photo courtesy of Link-Belt.)

Garco Construction of Spokane, Washington, has been tasked with laying the initial foundation for a 1.5 million-square-foot (139,354-square-meter) expansion of the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The $1.6 billion project is expected to be completed in spring 2022.

Garco recently purchased a 110-ton (100-metric ton) Link-Belt TCC-1100 telescopic boom crawler crane and a 200-t (182-mt) 248HSL lattice boom crawler crane for the project from distributor Triad Machinery. The two cranes join three other Link-Belts the construction firm has been renting from Triad, including 75-t (70-mt) TCC-750 and 120-t (110-mt) TCC-1200 telescopic crawlers and a 110-ton (100-mt) 218HSL lattice boom crawler.

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Garco Construction rerouted a street named Olive Way around the project. Olive Way will actually pass under the new convention center when it’s completed. (Photo courtesy of Link-Belt.)

Feedback On The 248HSL

Garco is using the Link-Belt cranes to move rebar and forms, as well as for foundation work such as lagging with soldier piles and the pouring of concrete walls. The contractor has already put almost 2,000 hours on its new 248HSL lattice crawler, which is being run day and night, six or seven days a week. The crane has a 55- to 285-foot (16.8- to 86.9-meter) boom and can run a luffing boom, luffing jib, or fixed jib.

“The 248HSL is pretty smooth function-wise for being a good-size crane,” says Jerry Wilson, 248HSL operator for Garco. “It functions fast, whether booming up or booming down, and it swings really well. We have a 218, it’s like a Corvette, but this (248 HSL) is like a turbo boss. The winches are really nice, the motors, you can really dial it down, send out just a quarter of an inch of payout.”

The Link-Belt TCC-1200

Meanwhile, the rented Link-Belt TCC-1200 telescopic crawler has a five-section full-power boom that can extend from 40 to 150 ft (12.2 to 45.7 m). The model superseded the earlier TCC-1100 like the one Garco just bought. “The TCC-1200 is a workhorse of a crane,” says Jared Neuert, TCC-1200 operator for Garco. “It is super-simple, and it’s easy to use the Pulse system. It has a great chart for all types of applications. We use it to swing light loads of iron, and heavy CONEX boxes weighing up to 30,000 pounds (13,607 kilograms) on a daily basis.

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Garco Construction is using the Link-Belt cranes, some nearly around the clock, to lay the foundation for the expansion of the convention center. (Photo courtesy of Link-Belt.)

“We are working in a tight environment with limited space, so the ability to telescope the boom and walk around the jobsite has really increased efficiencies,” Neuert continues. “Being able to move around the jobsite without worrying about outrigger pads makes production planning so much faster.”

TCC-750 & 218HSL

The TCC-750 telescopic crawler crane on the site has a four-section full-power boom with a 38.6- to 115.6-ft (11.8- to 35.2-m) length. The 218HSL lattice crawler nearby can use a variety of jib and luffing combinations with a 40- to 230-m (12.2- to 70.1-m) tube boom or a 45- to 155-ft (13.7- to 47.2-m) angle boom.

Source: Link-Belt