With rising energy costs and an increasing focus on energy efficiency, transportation by barge is becoming a popular solution to move bulk materials.  This method of transportation is one of the most cost effective ways to move bulk materials from production point to the market. E-Crane is ideal for barge unloading and can unload barges up to 2000 tons per hour.  E-Cranes are often unloading barges in “mission critical” applications where the E-Crane is the only means for unloading.  Along with the material handling equipment, E-Crane also offers a turnkey solution for barge handling. E-Crane’s barge-haul system for moving loaded barges consists of two opposed winches – one forward and one trailing.  The winches work in tandem with a continuous steel cable that includes two master links with a hitch rope for tying to the material barge.  The two winches are mounted to the dock  on either side of the E-crane.

In some cases, the infrastructure, environment, or other issues at the site do not favor a permanent installation.  In this situation, the complete material and barge handling package can be mounted on a floating material handling platform.  The floating material handling platform is an ideal solution when there is little or no existing infrastructure or if the flexibility of a floating, moveable system is required.  In the case of a barge mounted E-Crane, the barge-haul winches are sometimes located alongside the E-Crane on the barge deck.

As a part of a turnkey project, the barge-haul system can be incorporated into the E-Crane controls, so that the barge-haul can be controlled from inside of the E-Crane operator’s cab.  A foot pedal inside the E-Crane cab allows for hands-free barge shifting while the E-Crane operator simultaneously unloads the barge.

About the Equipment

Specifically designed for barge unloading, E-Crane is an established and trusted solution in the bulk handling industry, having proven itself at ports and terminals, offering complete solutions that ensure high efficiency and productivity.E-Cranes provide longer outreach ranges than typical material handlers, from 24.8 to 47.8 meters (82 to 157 feet).  This outreach allows for unloading any type of barge or ship with minimum cleanup.  E-Crane duty cycle capacity ranges from 5 to 50 metric tons (5.5 to 55 US tons).

The “E” in E-Crane stands for Equilibrium.  The E-Crane design is based on an ingenious parallelogram style boom that provides a direct mechanical connection between the counterweight and the load.  This unique 4 bar mechanism system ensures that the E-Crane remains in near perfect balance throughout its working range.  Compared to conventional cranes that require as much as 80% of their available energy just to move the boom, stick, and grab, the E-Crane makes gravity work for you instead of against you, reducing horsepower requirements and power consumption by up to 50% and significantly reducing maintenance and operating costs.  Flow-on-demand hydraulics also play a part in lowering power consumption, along with the modular design.  This simple, balanced design with modular construction allows for off-the-shelf components for longer service life, but also enables custom solutions.

About E-Crane

E-Crane Worldwide is a modern, state-of-the-art engineering and heavy equipment construction company, based in Adegem, Belgium and with subsidiary companies for sales management, technical support and service in The Netherlands (E-Crane International Europe) and Ohio, USA (E-Crane International USA).  E-Crane Worldwide develops turnkey material handling solutions with engineering services, equipment manufacturing, erection, operator/maintenance training and custom tailored on-going service programs for our clients.