First Kato rough-terrain lifting crane to feature MTU engines

By MEq June 13, 2016 12:26

Rolls-Royce is to supply MTU-branded engines to crane producer Kato for the first time. The Japanese company’s SL-500Rf PREMIUM rough-terrain lifting crane, which weighs in at 50 tonnes, is to be powered by a 6-cylinder in-line Series 1000 engine delivering 254 kW of power. Equipped with an SCR unit, the MTU engine meets the new Japanese Heisei 26 emission level requirements which came into force in 2016. The MTU brand is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

Bernd Krüper, Head of the Construction & Agriculture business unit at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “Winning Kato as customer is our first foray into the Japanese crane market. Japan is a high-tech market for industrial vehicles, whilst MTU already has a foothold in applications such as wheel loaders. We’re predicting continued growth for MTU in this segment over the next few years.” Even now, MTU is a leading global supplier of engines for heavy-duty mobile cranes. Kato is planning to source several hundred units per year for this crane.

With an overall width of 2.75 metres, the SL-500Rf PREMIUM is allowed to be driven on Japanese roads. With a boom length of 40 metres, the rough-terrain lifting crane can work with weights of up to 50 tonnes across a 37-metre radius. Rough-terrain lifting cranes are used for pick-and-carry operations and for off-road and “rough terrain” applications. Equipped with 4-wheel drive, the cranes are able to move over rough ground better than trucks fitted with lifting gear. The crane is to be launched on the Japanese market starting in July 2016.