SQ3.2SA3T Marine Crane on Work Pontoons in Australia

A new aluminium pontoon with a white telescopic crane on its deck, and a yellow crane of the same model lifting a pipe over the water: four photos from our customer in Australia show the BOB-LIFT SQ3.2SA3T telescopic marine crane on work pontoons.

At a glance: SQ3.2SA3T 3.2 t telescopic marine crane · Australia · two cranes on work pontoons · 4 customer photos.

What the photos show

• Fitting out a pontoon. In a workshop yard, a white crane stands on a round pedestal on the deck of a bare aluminium pontoon. Fitters in work clothes stand on the deck, and lifting straps lie on the hull.
• The crane. The boom is marked BOB-LIFT and SQ3.2S, with a NO STANDING UNDER THE BOOM warning. The extension sections are dark.
• Boom extended. One photo looks up at the boom raised steeply and fully extended against the sky.
• On the water. Another photo shows a yellow crane of the same model on a pontoon with a cabin and a diesel engine. With the boom raised, it holds a long steel pipe section on two straps out over the water.

These are the customer's own photos. No load weights, dates or comments came with them.

SQ3.2SA3T specifications

The SQ3.2SA3T is a 3.2 t telescopic boom marine crane with a maximum lifting moment of 6.8 t·m and three boom sections. All figures are read from the technical department's dimension and load chart drawings.

Lifting moment is the load times its distance from the slewing centre. That is why the rated load drops as the boom reaches out. For example, the SQ3.2SA3T lifts 3,200 kg at 2.2 m but only 550 kg at 8.3 m. Working radius is the level distance from the slewing centre to the hook. On a vessel, the pedestal takes the place of outriggers. It must be strong enough for the crane's weight and its full lifting moment. For general crane safety rules, see the OSHA cranes and derricks standard.

Raising the boom brings the hook closer in and the rating up: at 60° with the boom fully extended, the crane is rated for 1,360 kg at 4.15 m.

The SQ3.2SA3T product page has the full drawings, and other models of this size are on the 3.2 t telescopic boom marine crane page. A 20 t telescopic marine crane goes onto a vessel in our delivery record from New Zealand, and an 8 t knuckle boom marine crane lifts to an offshore rig in our record from Bahrain.

A small crane on a work pontoon

A pontoon is a small, light vessel. A load swung out over the side makes it heel, and that changes the lift. Four points to plan for:

1. Check stability with the pontoon builder. How far a pontoon heels depends on how far the load is from its centreline, not only on the weight. A light load far out over the side can tip it as much as a heavy one close in. Give the builder the crane weight of 1,050 kg, the 6.8 t·m moment and the load chart.
2. Build the pedestal into the hull. The 550 × 550 mm base plate bolts onto a pedestal. Tie the pedestal into the frames below the deck, not into the deck plate alone.
3. Keep the boom high for long loads. In the photo of the pipe, the boom is raised steeply. A higher boom angle gives more capacity at the same reach.
4. Use two straps on long items. A pipe on two straps hangs level and is easier to guide. A tag line keeps it from turning.

Sea water is hard on steel, so the marine cranes get an epoxy zinc primer with a polyurethane acrylic top coat. Other capacities are in the telescopic boom marine crane range, and the marine crane buying guide covers deck mounting in more detail.

What to send us for a marine crane

To check a crane like the SQ3.2SA3T for your pontoon or boat, we need a few details. Short answers are fine.

• The vessel. Its type, its length and beam, and where on the deck the crane will stand.
• The lifts. The heaviest load, and how far from the crane it is picked up and set down.
• The power. The hydraulic power pack you have now, or whether you need a new one. The SQ3.2SA3T needs 25 L/min at 20 MPa, about 14 kW.

Send these through the contact page, and our team will check reach and load against the chart.

Record compiled by Achord Chan, Product Operations Director at BOB-LIFT, from the customer's photos and the technical department's drawings.