Liebherr LR 1500 Crawler Crane Does Four Jobs In Just Days For German Operator HKV

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A 550-ton Liebherr LR 1500 lattice boom crawler crane helped to dismantle the Viktoria Bridge in Bonn, Germany. (Photo courtesy of Liebherr.)

A Liebherr LR 1500 lattice boom crawler crane recently had a chance to show off its versatility, transportability, and quick set-up time in Germany. Crane provider HKV Schmitz + Partner GmbH of Cologne used its 550-ton (500-metric-ton) LR 1500 on a number of disparate jobs in a short amount of time.

“The fact that you can complete two jobs in a week demonstrates its fantastic transport logistics and the fast set-up time of the LR 1500,” says HKV Managing Director Michael Schmitz. The family-run firm operates 26 Liebherr cranes.

Getting Around Town

The first stop for HKV’s LR 1500 was in Cologne Deutz, where the crawler dismantled a 249-foot (76-meter) tower crane. The LR 1500 took down the slewing platform and the tower, each of which weighed 13.8 t (12.5 mt). “Since we could get closer to the tower crane with the crawler after we had set up the boom system, which meant we could reduce the radius, the load case was easier to achieve than if we had used a large telescopic crane,” Schmitz says.

A mere four days later, HKV moved the LR 1500 about 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) to the Cologne port of Worringen. There, it unloaded a 132-t (120-mt) steam drum from a barge. Because the crane’s components weigh 99,200 lbs (45 mt) or less and measure 9 ft, 10 inches (3 m) or less in width, it can be transported almost anywhere in the world without restrictions.

Next, the LR 1500 went to Bonn for a few night shifts. There it removed bridge support girders weighing up to 66 t (60 mt) from the Viktoria Bridge. The job required a radius of 220 ft (67 m), which was easily within the LR 1500’s 472-ft (144-m) maximum reach.

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The LR 1500 has available boom systems capable of erecting wind turbines with hub heights of up to 476 feet. (Photo courtesy of Liebherr.)

Finally, the LR 1500 relocated even further south to Unkenbach, where it replaced a 33-t (30-mt) gearbox on a wind turbine at a height of 420 ft (128 m). With input from HKV, Liebherr recently updated the LR 1500 with available boom systems capable of erecting wind turbines with hub heights of up to 476 ft (145 m).

Liebherr’s LR 1500

Liebherr says the 476-horsepower (355-kilowatt) LR 1500 lifts like a 550-t (500-mt) crane, but has the more compact dimensions of a 440-t (400-mt) model. Its main hoist unit supports the crane’s maximum lifting capacity, so it doesn’t need a second winch in dual mode on heavy jobs.

The LR 1500’s main boom offers up to 433 ft (132 m) of height, but the overall maximum hoist height the crane can achieve is a dizzying 538 ft (164 m). The unit also has a derrick boom of up to 98 ft (30 m) and a detachable VarioTray for derrick ballast. Thanks to Liebherr’s ballast trailer, the crane can move about with a load on the hook.

Source: Liebherr