Volvo Penta-powered Magni is high achiever in NYC

Time and space are in short supply in New York’s fast-paced construction industry. But Structure Tech can save on both by using Magni telescopic handlers as an alternative to tower cranes, thanks to their compact and powerful Volvo Penta industrial engines.

With many of the 20,000 buildings erected in New York City each year standing on narrow or congested streets, there’s no room for complacency as contractors endeavor to minimize the disruption they bring to the neighborhood. Sometimes, there’s little room for tower cranes either – but, thanks to the powerful reliability offered by a Volvo Penta D5 engine and a Magni RTH 6.46 rotating telescopic handler, one company has found the perfect alternative.

“Space is at a premium and speed is essential,” explains Mick Duffy, Director of Field Operations, Structure Tech, which was contracted to build the 40-story structure on 47th Street. “We pour a concrete floor every three days, which is incredibly fast compared to other cities, but that’s New York: everything here is about time and money.”

“This street is just a single lane so it can’t be closed off,” adds Adam Cardona, operator at Structure Tech. “So we have to perform each lift super-fast or we could face being shut down.”

Unlike a crane, the Magni RTH 6.46 rotating telescopic handler can be set up within minutes and easily moved, perfectly combining compact mobility and maneuverability with its status as one of the highest-reaching telehandlers in the world. Impressively, it can lift a maximum 6 t, or 2.5 t to just under 46 m, from where a spider crane can distribute the loads to the higher floors.

“The Magni is central to everything we do and we are so reliant on it,” says Adam. This means the telehandler is worked hard all day long. It is used for hoisting everything from plywood sheets to the concrete pump and bringing the garbage back down. It is estimated that the Magni will make approximately 3000 lifts over the 13-month build, including moving a total 900 t of steel.

This sort of intensive use is far from unusual for Magni’s telehandlers, so when it came to choosing an engine that could reliably power the RTH 6.46, its engineers instantly thought of partnering with Volvo Penta.

A perfectly integrated engine

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The Modena, Italy-based OEM worked closely with Volvo Penta to develop a solution that met the machine’s unique challenges – namely reaching a good balance between size and power output. By producing a maximum torque of 910 Nm at just 1,410 rpm, and maintaining that all the way up to its 160 kW (218 hp) rated power at 2,300 rpm, the in-line 4-cylinder, 5.1-liter Volvo Penta D5 industrial engine quickly became the prime candidate.

“Telescopic handlers are quite small vehicles, and the specific power ratio that Volvo Penta’s D5 engine can provide allows Magni to reach its performance objectives despite the reduced footprint in the machine,” states Matteo Mambelli, Volvo Penta Italy.

Thanks to the D5’s compact dimensions – resulting from a reduced cooling capacity requirement – Volvo Penta and Magni engineers collaborated closely to ensure the TAD 572 VE Tier 4 Final engine was able to fit within the tight confines of the engine compartment and meet the requirements of the US market.

Their efforts soon revealed the need for the engine to be tilted, creating further challenges, such as ensuring that performance and reliability remained optimal. The testing period was therefore extended to confirm that the D5 would continue to run without issues in every condition.
“One challenge when a small machine works at these heights is that every movement is amplified – a gust of wind can have a huge impact on stability,” explains Matteo. “But thanks to the responsiveness of the engine and the machine’s many safety features, the Magni enables its operators to handle it as safely as possible, even in tough conditions.

“We spent a lot of time developing the perfect integration between our products and Magni’s technology in order to get an industrialized product that lived up to demanding expectations in the field. The journey has also helped us to improve our experience and capabilities.”

This close working relationship is typical of the Volvo Penta business approach, where it effectively becomes a partner with an OEM rather than a supplier. Drawing on its vast experience of a broad range of applications and operating conditions, the company shares that knowledge and expertise to aid OEMs in the development of complete solutions able to maximize performance and functionality. Whether providing full installation support – covering everything from performance predictions and application integration to verification and test – or creating modified engine designs to realize the desired performance, the partnership is an extremely effective method of developing the best products possible.

Powerful and reliable

The reliability of the telehandler and its engine certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Big Apple. “The Magni has a powerful engine that allows us to maximize the weight we can lift, and it never lets us down,” says Mick Duffy. “Our crew on this site costs around $4,000 an hour, so for every hour we lose, that’s $4,000 we’re not getting back.

“But the equipment is top notch – right now, we’re up to 33 floors, and despite all the material we’re sending up and the demands we put on the Magni, it has not caused a single minute of downtime. It just keeps running, from morning to evening. So, to say that I have a machine that hasn’t let me down with just seven floors to go – well, that’s great.”

Part of the reason for this trouble-free operation lies in Volvo Penta’s robust emissions solutions, supporting low total cost of ownership. In its latest Stage V configuration, the D5’s fixed geometry turbo and reliable Exhaust Aftertreatment System (EATS) – and the highly efficient SCR technology in particular – enable the use of a low-complexity, robust design. High uptime is further supported by the maximization of passive regeneration during normal operation. A common-rail injection system provides world-class fuel efficiency – conveniently reducing the frequency of fuel tank refilling.

Round-the-clock support

Conscious that many more of its customers are equally dependent on its equipment, Magni was also drawn to the longer service intervals and extensive support network that Volvo Penta provides.

In the case of Structure Tech, Volvo Penta can provide a round-the-clock phone line, and a fully trained technician can be on site within an hour. “If something happens, it’s always taken care of very quickly,” concludes Mick. “Often, it can even be taken care of over the phone and we’re straight back to work adding more floors.

“Our approach might look chaotic from the outside, but it is actually highly organized. “We work like a well-oiled machine so that we get the job done on time, safely and on budget.”

And much of the credit for that goes to another well-oiled machine – the Magni telescopic handler and the Volvo Penta D5 engine.