Tadano 90-Ton Crane Load Chart FAQ: Demag 2019, Site Power, and More

I've been on the rental side of mobile cranes for six years, and I've personally made (and documented) 14 mistakes that added up to roughly $38,000 in wasted time and re-bills. This is the checklist I now hand to newer coordinators before they book a Tadano, sign off on a load chart, or make assumptions about site power. It covers the Demag acquisition, 90-ton load charts, concrete anchors, generators, and yes—the bird confusion.

Tadano acquires Demag mobile cranes in 2019: what exactly was included?

In February 2019, Tadano announced it was acquiring Demag Mobile Cranes from Terex. The reported purchase price was around $215 million, and the deal was completed later that year (Terex/Tadano announcement, February 2019). What Tadano got was the Demag mobile crane product line, including the Zweibrücken plant, the Demag brand for mobile cranes, and a well-established lattice boom crane program.

Here's the part people miss: this was not Tadano buying a whole industrial conglomerate. It was a focused product line acquisition. Tadano already had a strong position in all-terrain and rough-terrain cranes in Asia and the Americas, but Demag gave it a deeper European footprint and a wider range of large lattice boom cranes. You still see Demag model names on some machines, which confuses people. The ownership changed, not necessarily the badge.

If you are trying to verify details for a specific machine, search the model number with 'Tadano Demag' rather than just 'Demag' for anything built after 2019. That should point you to current manuals and parts sources. (This was accurate as of April 2025; the product line integration keeps moving.)

Does that make Demag cranes just Tadano cranes?

Sort of, but not exactly. After the acquisition, Tadano kept the Demag product line for the cranes that came from that side of the business. You will see 'Tadano Demag' on newer models and on much of the current literature. On older machines, you will still see the Demag name alone. For parts and service, the integration took time. I remember ordering a Demag part in 2021 and getting redirected to Tadano's portal—it worked, but it was not instant.

What I tell people is: do not treat a pre-2019 Demag crane as a completely different animal. It is basically a Demag that now has Tadano's service network and parts system behind it. That is the value, honestly. The caveat is that you need to confirm serial-number-specific support, software updates, and the availability of model-specific parts for your exact unit.

What should be on a Tadano 90-ton crane load chart?

A '90-ton' rating is not a promise that the crane can lift 90 tons anywhere. It is a best-case number, usually at a minimum radius, with the outriggers fully extended, the counterweight set to full, and the boom at a specific length. The load chart shows capacities across all the combinations: radius, boom length, jib angle, counterweight, and rotation position.

For a Tadano 90-ton class machine—for example, the ATF 90-4—you need to look at four sections: main boom, main boom with luffing jib, counterweight variations, and outrigger configuration. The same crane can show 90 tons at a short radius and a much smaller number at a longer radius on the same page. Neither number is wrong. Both are true under the stated conditions.

Before you even call the rental desk, know three things: radius, boom length, and counterweight. In that order. Most buyers focus on maximum capacity and completely miss radius and ground bearing pressure. The question everyone asks is 'what is the biggest thing it can lift?' The question they should ask is 'at what radius, with what jib, on what outrigger setting, and over what soil condition?'

What's the most common load chart mistake you see?

Using a screenshot from a third-party website without checking the machine's serial number and configuration. I did this in September 2022. I planned a lift with a 90-ton mobile crane, checked a chart I found online, and told the client we were fine. The crane that actually arrived had a different counterweight setup, and the chart in the cab showed about 1.1 tons less than my printout at the critical radius. We caught it before the lift, but only after a three-hour delay and a $1,100 rewrite of the lift plan while we repositioned the crane.

So now the rule is: use the chart that is physically in the cab or on the machine, or the official Tadano chart matched to the serial number. OSHA's cranes and derricks in construction standard (1926 Subpart CC) requires the operator to have the appropriate load chart available. A blurry screenshot from someone's old job folder is not documentation—it is risk. It also changes how clients see you. The first thing a good safety rep checks is whether the chart matches the actual machine. A clean official chart tells the client you take the lift seriously. (Note to self: never again trust a screenshot.)

Should I use the Tadano load chart app or the printed chart in the cab?

Use both, and compare them for the same crane serial number. The printed chart is the one OSHA asks for, and it must be on the machine. The official Tadano app is convenient for pre-planning, but if the app shows a newer version than the decal and the machine hasn't been updated, the decal controls what the operator is allowed to use. I had a situation in Q1 2024 where the app showed an updated counterweight option, but the crane's physical chart had not been updated. The lift plan had to follow the physical chart. That is not bureaucracy; it is what protects everyone.

If you find a mismatch, report it to Tadano or the crane owner before the job. It took us about 20 minutes to confirm the right configuration, and it saved us from a potentially dangerous load. It also looked a lot more professional than guessing.

Why is a concrete drill bit on a crane job checklist?

Because lifting equipment often has to be anchored to or protected from concrete. Before a lift, someone frequently needs to drill a concrete pad for wedge anchors, temporary guardrail posts, or cribbing guides. I once sent a crew out with a standard masonry bit to drill wedge anchors into a foundation that turned out to be reinforced concrete. The bit dulled on the first hole, and the crew spent two hours driving to a hardware store. The right tool is a carbide-tipped rotary hammer bit—SDS-Max or SDS-Plus, depending on your hammer—and you should check the bit before the truck leaves the yard.

Here's something that doesn't show up in the load chart: the small tools are part of the lift plan. A 90-ton crane can be legally ready and still wait on a $14 drill bit. I made that mistake, it cost about $220 in unplanned labor, and now our morning checklist has 'concrete drill bit' as a line item. It sounds silly. It is not.

Can a Westinghouse generator run a Tadano crane?

Short answer: not casually. A portable Westinghouse generator is fine for work lights, chargers, coffee machines, and most site tools. It is not a substitute for the specified electric supply that a modern Tadano crane needs if it is using its electric drive or electric over-hydraulic systems. You need a properly rated, grounded supply—and in many cases you will still run the crane on its own diesel engine.

I once asked an electrician to 'just hook up the generator' to a Tadano on a jobsite to avoid starting the diesel engine. He stopped me and explained the risk: voltage fluctuation and grounding issues can damage control electronics. He was right. The jobsite used the generator for lights and a temporary welding machine, and the crane ran on its engine. If you absolutely must supply external power to a crane, check the machine's manual and have a qualified electrician set up the connection. Learn from my almost-mistake, not from a burned controller.

Heron vs crane vs egret: what's the difference?

This question comes up more than you'd think, usually from someone who sees 'crane' and remembers the bird from school. The construction machine is named after the bird: the long neck and lifting motion reminded people of a crane. The birds themselves are different:

• Cranes (family Gruidae) are bulky, long-necked wading birds. They fly with their necks straight out, and many have a distinctive raised-wing look.
• Herons (family Ardeidae) are wading birds that fly with their necks folded in an S-curve. They hunt in shallow water and usually retract their necks when flying.
• Egrets are also herons, in the Ardeidae family, usually white. 'Egret' is a common name for certain white herons, not a separate biological family.

If it's lifting steel next to a Tadano load chart, it's the machine. If it's standing in a pond, you can call it what it is—but the load chart still applies.