Heavy Equipment Colleges Train Next-Generation Crane Operators With Manitowoc MLC100-1 Lattice Boom Crawlers

---

Heavy Equipment Colleges of America has purchased a pair of 110-ton Manitowoc MLC100-1 lattice boom crawler cranes to train new operators. (Photo courtesy of Manitowoc.)

Heavy Equipment Colleges of America, the only Department of Education-accredited school for crane operation in the U.S., has purchased a pair of 110-ton (100-metric-rton) Manitowoc MLC100-1 lattice boom crawler cranes for its Stonecrest, Georgia, and Oklahoma City locations.

As the construction industry continues to experience a shortage of skilled trades workers, advanced cranes such as the MLC100-1 demonstrate to prospective students that a blue-collar operator job can be high-tech, comfortable, and safe. This message is especially important due to the possibility of widespread infrastructure projects going forward, Manitowoc says.

Cutting-Edge Training

HEC’s crane operator course lasts for six weeks, after which 83% of students in the program are placed in jobs. The college’s strategy is to have its students train on modern cranes with the latest technology, such as the MLC100-1.

“The total focus of our business is addressing the skills gap in blue-collar training and placing people in jobs,” says HEC President and CEO Bob Albano. “That means having new equipment to train on that will help students gain the best experience. The MLC100-1 units are sophisticated and natural for learning on.”

---

“The inside of a Manitowoc MLC100-1 cab is like being in a cockpit,” says HEC President and CEO Bob Albano. The operator controls the MLC100-1 using joysticks and digital displays. (Photo courtesy of Manitowoc.)

Intuitive Controls

The operator controls the MLC100-1 using joysticks and digital displays, similar to the video games and military equipment familiar to many of HEC’s students. Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS) includes a jog dial for on-screen navigation and user-adjustable speed control settings for all crane movements. CCS also makes the cab layout similar across the Manitowoc crane family, which gives new crane operators proficiency with multiple models fresh out of school.

“The inside of a Manitowoc MLC100-1 cab is like being in a cockpit,” Albano says. “We have an instructor with 20 years of experience that says these units are much easier to teach on because they can customize and fine-tune the operations to enable students to get used to operating them.”

Manitowoc dealer H&E Equipment Services is supplying both new MLC100-1s for the school. H&E has provided roughly 15 Manitowoc and Grove cranes for HEC’s training fleet in six locations.

The Manitowoc MLC100-1

The MLC100-1 crawler crane can be equipped with up to 200 feet (61 meters) of main lattice boom and 60 ft (18.3 m) of fixed jib. It can self-assemble without requiring an assist crane, and it comes with button-style wire rope terminations.

The MLC100-1’s wide-body cab is designed for user comfort. During operation, redundant sensors monitor structural stresses on the crane in real time to ensure safety. Travel and swing alarms come standard.

The crane’s 300-horsepower (223-kilowatt) Cummins 6.7-liter engine meets Tier 4 Final emissions requirements. The engine and its intake, cooler, and exhaust aftertreatment system are all self-contained.

Source: Manitowoc