Mi-Jack Products Inc. used ConExpo-Con/Agg 2014 to gain real time equipment feedback from potential end-users and crane operators on hand last month at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Company graphics and engineering staff created a Real-Time Travelift RTG Crane Operations simulator. Based on a MJ50 model, it enabled attendees to practice operating a Travelift RTG outfitted with new controls plus forward and right side video screens. Users could experience the ease of operation while transferring a prestressed concrete girder from site staging area to a waterway dock deck in between two similar, finished structures.
The simulator measures an operator’s overall time from girder pick to correct placement, factoring precise crane, spreader bar and lift hook maneuvers. Point of placement requires users to negotiate two finished, relatively narrow dock structures that combine for a gantry runway.
“We couldn’t be happier with the response we’ve received from everyone who tried our simulator,” says Mi-Jack Sales Manager Mike Lanigan, Jr. “For those that knew our Travelift RTG cranes, it was a ball. And for those that had never been in our equipment, they couldn’t believe how precise and smooth the controls were.”
The simulator’s site, equipment and girder elements are scaled to the MJ50, a 100,000-lb. capacity model with 39-ft. inside clearance and 28-ft. 10-in. hook height.
Additional information on the simulator can be obtained from Mike Lanigan, Jr., 708/501-4077.