One of the largest plastics recycling facilities in the world is under construction in Hebron, Ohio, just 30 miles east of Columbus. ALL Crane Rental Corp. of Columbus, a member of the ALL Family of Companies, has been heavily involved in construction of the 260,000-square-foot facility.
General manager Rich Randall says his branch has provided an impressive array of cranes throughout the life of the project – although one piece of equipment stands head and shoulders above the rest. It’s the Manitowoc 21000 lattice-boom crawler crane, with a 1000-ton capacity and boom able to extend up to 400 feet. The unit was brought to the site to set two 350,000-pound kilns and their accompanying 140,00-pound combustion chambers.
The kilns are used to heat recyclable waste plastics to the high temperatures needed to aid in their conversion to their original liquid hydrocarbon mixture named “PyOil” that will be used to create a variety of products, including plastic resins and other refined products. The plant will have the capacity to recycle 90,000 tons of plastics each year.
Randall says the sheer size of the crane isn’t all that’s notable about the lifts; ALL Crane was tabbed to provide turnkey services to the general contractor. “They contacted with us to assess the ground bearing pressures, bring in the necessary stone and crane mats for foundation support, and procure rigging, in addition to our usual role of providing the cranes and planning and executing the lifts.”
Randall worked with ALL’s in-house engineer, John Stolarczyk, who is based at sister branch Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental in Wisconsin. Stolarczyk reviewed geotechnical reports, crane specs, and lift details then generated recommendations on allowable ground bearing pressures and appropriate site preparation.
The high-capacity Manitowoc 21000 was already in the Columbus yard because it has been busy working on construction of the many tech-sector data centers in the region. Its capacity and reach were needed for the recycling plant job site for a couple of reasons. First, it can accommodate the massive weights of the two kilns. Second, its long reach neutralized the fact that the crane had to set up outside of a zone in which concrete had already been poured. To prevent damage to the concrete, the crane had to stay off, which required a 160-foot lift radius.
The crane as configured with 220 feet of main boom, 494,700 pounds of counterweight, plus another 1,124,000 pounds of counterweight on the Manitowoc MAX-ER attachment. The MAX-ER further boosts capacity with minimal impact on ground bearing pressure. It took four days to set the two kilns and two combustion chambers.
The unit performed so well that the contractor kept it at the site to complete other, lighter lifts within the zone in which concrete was already poured. The dramatic reach of the Manitowoc 21000 made quick work of these smaller lifts without requiring delivery and assembly of a different long-reach crane.
Plant construction has relied heavily on ALL Crane for its heavy lifting needs. Since work began in 2023, in addition to the Manitowoc 21000, ALL Crane has also provided multiple 100-ton rough terrain (RT) cranes, all-terrain cranes from 50- all the way up to 770-tons, a 165-ton RT for steel erection and pipe connections, several 50-ton RT support cranes, aerial lifts, and telehandlers.
