Liebherr MK 88 mobile construction crane: Working for The Lord
It was probably the greatest and most spectacular crane job in the long history of the Protestant church in Naurod. Over the years the wind and weather have caused all sorts of damage to the structure which meant that it was now badly in need of refurbishment.
On that particular Saturday four scaffold gantries were erected around the steeple at a height of 30 metres.
Over the years the wind and weather have caused all sorts of damage to the structure which meant that it was now badly in need of refurbishment. The scaffolding contractors were able to provide access to the octagonal building from the outside up to the steeple. To ensure this they erected four scaffold gantries each over 20 metres in length directly next to the church on the ground. From there the crane hoisted the elements up to the steeple.
The church was built between 1727 and 1730 using plans drawn up by Nassau master builder Johann Jacob Bager. It is a central structure with an octagonal layout in the Baroque style. As a result of its unusual shape, the church is famous well beyond the borders of Naurod and is a landmark of the most northern suburb of Wiesbaden.
Crane contractor Riga Mainz had the perfect machine to tackle this challenging task – the Liebherr MK 88 Plus mobile construction crane. Since the church is in a very small area in the town centre with a multitude of power lines around it, only a mobile construction crane was able to tackle the job, ensuring that the busy main road did not have to be closed.
At 7.30 am the MK 88 Plus moved into position on the side road and was assembled immediately next to the church. On the basis of the dimensions of the scaffold gantries which had to be hoisted, it was assumed that they would weigh around three tonnes. Since the width of this side road narrowed, the MK 88 Plus was perfectly assembled for the job with half the support base of 5.75 metres and the jib raised at an angle of 30 degrees.
The mobile construction crane was ready for action within 30 minutes. The enthralled crowd described it as a "technical masterpiece" by man and machine. Crane driver Stephan Achenbach managed to hoist all the scaffold parts safely around the steeple within around two hours in bright sunshine with no wind – it was almost as if God was helping him.
