Liebherr puts wind in the sails of power plant

A 1,200t Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1 telescopic boom has been used to install a wind power plant in Germany.
Crane company Karl Hartinger Kranbetrieb, based in Warburg-Rimbeck, used a nine-axis LTM 11200-9.1 to install a 3MW Enercon E-101 wind energy plant in Preussisch Oldendorf, in the north-west of Germany.

The heaviest part of the plant was the machine housing, which had to be mounted to a hub height of 99m, with the total load including lifting gear and hook block at 66.5t.

The telescopic boom with Y-pattern guying was extended to 82m, mounted with a 31.6m lattice jib. The LTM 11200-9.1 also features a 6.5m-long hydraulic luffing lattice jib, which was well-suited to the project.

Karl Hartinger crane operator Tjerk Thomiczek said: “The hydraulically luffable lattice jib is unbeatable on this crane, because I can set up the entire E-101 from a single position. I never have to reposition – that’s a huge advantage. Over the course of the installation, the extension was reduced from 19m to about 10m.”

Sennebogen helps to build bridges in Russia

A Sennebogen 7700 crawler crane has been used to construct an 800m-long motorway bridge in Russia.
The 300t crane was delivered by LLC Lonmadi Saint Petersburg, Sennebogen’s sales and service partner for Russia, to construction company BaltMostStroy in the second half of 2013.

The job included lifting prefabricated steel parts weighing up to 100t onto the concrete foundations of the bridge, which is part of the new A121 motorway being constructed between St Petersburg and Priosersk-Sortavala.

The Sennebogen 7700, which features a 41m boom and auxiliary jib, was required to navigate hilly terrain while lifting the parts perfectly horizontally, and accurate alignment was necessary to securely place the chains and straps. Stability was provided by the 135t ballast and 8m-wide crawler undercarriage of the crane, while lifting was driven by a 313kW Caterpillar diesel engine with two 220kN winches.

Manoeuvrability of the crane is improved by the compact upper carriage, which is the largest component of the 7700 and has a transport width of 3m. The boom sections, which feature a self-assembly system for quick set-up, and the Starlifter undercarriage have a maximum width of 2.43m, making transportation easier.

Southern expands fleet with Tadano all terrain

Houston’s Tadano America Corporation sold an ATF 90G-4 all terrain crane to North Carolina company Southern Crane.

Southern opted for the ATF 90G-4 as the 168ft main boom combined with the 59ft jib length enables a quick set-up and take-down, even with limited space, said company president Earl Johnson.

A recent project for the new crane was unloading a 48,000lb communication building, which will be transported to the cell site and set again using the ATF 90G-4. The lift required the use of the full 49,163lb counterweight.

Based in Raleigh and formed in 2003, Southern Crane now operates more than 16 cranes ranging from 28-190t.

Terex crane meets space challenges in factory

A Terex Challenger 3160 all terrain crane has helped a salt and fertiliser manufacturer overcome space restrictions and the highly saline atmosphere in its factory.

German mobile crane company H & S Autokrane used the Challenger at the facilities of Kassel-based Kali- und Salzwerke to install and remove pipelines.

The three-axle, 55t Challenger 3160 features a 50m boom system which met requirements of the project including hoisting pipelines and steel elements 42m for assembly into an existing structure, and hoisting with a wide radius for moving underneath pipeline bridges.

The crane overcame various complications during the project including navigating a narrow approach, which at some points allowed a width of 2.6m and a height of 3.6m. Drains passing underneath the workspace limited the weight for the job to 40t, as well as restricting the use of half of the outrigger extension for parts of the project while still requiring the full counterweight.

Jens Hartung, field crew member at Hesse-based H & S Autokrane, said: “We were able to master even this task with our Challenger.
“To work here, a crane needs to be really small when it pulls in, and large with a long boom in the structures. Moreover, it needs to be able to lift heavy loads. The Challenger 3160 all terrain crane comes the closest to fulfilling this ideal.”

BKL adds second GMK6300L to its fleet

German crane rental company BKL Baukran Logistik has added a second Grove GMK6300L all terrain crane to its fleet.

Manufactured by Manitowoc, the first 300t GMK6300L purchased by BKL completed 1,500 working hours in a year, leading to the German company’s addition of a second unit.

The GMK6300L is based in Frankfurt and is used primarily for inner-city job sites where space is limited, and for erecting and dismantling tower cranes.

Based at Forstinning, near Munich, BKL has a fleet of more than 330 tower cranes and almost 40 mobile cranes.

GMK6300L assists with children’s hospital project

A 300t Grove GMK6300L all terrain crane has been used to install five air handling units on the roof of a nine-storey building at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.

UK-based City Lifting lifted the 4t units at a radius of 54m using only the crane’s main boom, as the limited space in central London prevented the company from rigging a fly jib.

To reach the site of the children’s hospital the crane also had to navigate a hole which had been dug in the adjoining access road.

The lifts, which represented the first time City Lifting had used its GMK6300L, were completed in a day.