Mobile and crawler cranes
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6 minutes | magazine 01/2018

On your marks

The LTM 1450-8.1 is a genuine all-rounder. Its powerful boom has a large range and can complete crane jobs normally reserved for the 500-tonne class in many areas. The VarioBallast® with hydraulic adjustment is convenient and makes the crane very flexible.

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A quick-erection crane with a lifting capacity of 450 tonnes

"A powerful crane which can be set up quickly and easily by few personnel. That's it." This was a thought that Markus Ley had had for many years. The dream of a quick-erection crane with a high lifting capacities in the category over 400 tonnes was one that other crane operators had also mentioned to us. And so we made their dreams come true. In October 2017, Markus Ley, owner of Ley-Krane GmbH und Co. KG, took delivery of the very first LTM 1450-8.1.

The "removable telescopic boom" option makes road permits much easier for us.

Markus Ley, owner of Ley-Krane GmbH und Co. KG

At the handover ceremony the company boss explained his purchase decision. "When we heard about the new Liebherr 450-tonner, we decided very quickly to invest in this crane model. It meets our requirements exactly." The family company has thirty employees and a range of equipment including over 200 work platforms and 15 mobile cranes. The largest crane to date was a 6-axle model. But now the LTM 1450-8.1 is the proud flagship. Wind turbines, bridges and prefabricated concrete components – Ley has plenty of work for the 8-axle crane.

Everything on board?

Easy handling, fast set-up and the latest technology – those were the specifications for the LTM 1450-8.1 design. The set-up times on site are short – arrive, position the support plates, extend the outriggers, position the ballast slabs, complete the hoist. That means that a second job on the same day is always a possibility. The reason that it works so well is because the 8-axle crane carries most of its equipment with it. Although it is not a holiday, it still feels like "all-inclusive". The LTM 1450-8.1 can carry its 85 metre telescopic boom on public roads with an axle load of 12 tonnes. That is unique! In addition, it also has all four outriggers, tyres of type 445/95 R 25, the winch, the large drive unit, a retarder and the eddy current brake in its suitcase.

But whether it is a minimalist journey or a luxury trip, a very wide range of transport weights and axle load versions were taken into account during the design of the LTM 1450-8.1 to ensure low cost, global mobility. Markus Ley also appreciates the flexibility of the new 450-tonne crane in terms of road licensing. "We bought the "removable telescopic boom" option. That means that in addition to the 96-tonne licence we also have one for a gross weight of less than 60 tonnes. That makes things much easier for us for travelling on public roads."

Sophisticated ballast concept VarioBallast®

The ballast radius can be reduced with infinite adjustment from 7 metres to 5 metres using a simple hydraulic swivel mechanism. The VarioBallast® ballast adjustment is of great benefit on constricted sites. For example, a radius of 5 metres corresponds to the value of mobile cranes in the 200-tonne class.

The maximum ballast on the LTM 1450-8.1 is 134 tonnes. To enhance economy, the ballast plates are compatible with the plates from the LTM 1350-6.1, the LTM 1400-7.1 and Liebherr 9-axle mobile cranes. Winch 2 with its adjustment block for luffing jib operation can be installed quickly since it is secured direct to the ballast frame.

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Rainer Speich, BKL Site Manager in Ingolstadt

A telescopic boom reaching (almost) up to the moon

And that is quite a long way up. Around 384,000 kilometres on average, to be exact. The LTM 1450-8.1 can manage a telescopic boom length of 85 metres – which is unique in this crane class. It is also extremely powerful as crane driver Roland Richter from BKL Baukran Logistik found to his satisfaction.

After a set-up time of just two hours, he dismantled a 75 metre high construction crane using his new 450-tonne mobile crane – a new record. The whole thing was only possible due to the 85 metre telescopic boom. Rainer Speich, BKL Site Manager in Ingolstadt, confirms: "The long telescopic boom enables us to reduce the set-up time and also means we do not need an auxiliary crane or truck." But that was not the only reason behind the purchase of the LTM 1450-8.1. He goes on: "The crane is incredibly flexible due to VarioBase® and VarioBallast®. We can get it into narrow alleys where previously the best we could offer was a 200-tonne crane."

The long telescopic boom enables us to reduce the set-up time and also means we do not need an auxiliary crane or truck.

Rainer Speich, BKL Site Manager in Ingolstadt

This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2018.

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