New York: Liebherr 125 K crane erects eight-storey residential building

A new Liebherr 125 K fast-erecting crane with special paint finish is working on the construction of an eight-storey residential building in the New York metropolitan area. This is its first assignment. “We bought the crane expressly for this purpose,” says Liebherr customer Daniel Bossi, managing director of Extreme Construction Inc, based in Hamilton, New Jersey. It was the reach, usability and flexibility of the Liebherr K series that won over Daniel Bossi and his crane operator.

The set-up on site is unusual in that assembly engineers didn’t erect the 125 K on the ground but on the third floor of the building instead. This means there is no need for a recess in the floors of the podium to accommodate the tower of the crane, which saves both time and money. Plus, the 125 K is high enough to be able to rotate above a neighbouring crane without any problems. A Liebherr 316 EC-H is currently working on a different project on a site nearby. Due to its higher position, the 125 K towers over the 316 EC-H by almost seven metres.

No time-consuming relocations

Lifting concrete components and placing structures made of steel are just two of the tasks performed by the 125 K on the “25 Maple Avenue” development project in New Rochelle, New York. This project entails an eight-storey building with more than 180 residential units, around 1,900 square metres of commercial space and a multi-storey car park. Extreme Construction Inc. is responsible for the structural and interior work. The project is scheduled for completion in 2022.

The 125 K is positioned on the third floor in such a way that all areas of the site are reachable. As a result, time-intensive relocations are not required. Unlike with other types of lifting technology, such as loading or telescopic cranes, there is no need to plan extra routes and parking areas. Given the limited space on the construction site, this is a decisive argument in favour of the fast-erecting crane.

Heaviest lift is 4,000 kilograms

The crane has a jib length of 55 metres and a maximum lifting capacity of 8,000 kilograms. The hook height for this particular site is just under 37 metres. “Using this crane allows to perform all the required lifting on site. The heaviest lift has been around 4,000 kilograms,” says Daniel Bossi. The auxiliary crane, a Liebherr LTM 1350 mobile crane, lifted the folded 125 K to the third floor and will also bring it down again once the project is complete.

“My crane operator Jeff Allen, who has been doing this job since 1984 and has worked for our company since 2008, says that this is the best tower crane he has ever worked with,” reports Daniel Bossi. “We used the Load Plus assistance system for the duration of the job.” With Load Plus, the lifting load can be increased by up to 20 percent at the push of a button. This further increases the performance of the most powerful fast-erecting crane on the market. The external cabin and the support provided by other assistance systems of the Litronic control system also ensure safety on the construction site.

Special paint finish in black and orange

Incidentally, it was crane operator Jeff Allen who brought the Liebherr model to his boss’s attention. Jeff Allen discovered the 125 K at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas last year and found himself immediately impressed. Daniel Bossi subsequently ordered the crane in black and orange, Extreme Construction Inc’s company colours, inclusive of an external cab.

The cabin can be assembled without the need for additional tools. This also applies to the crane itself. Thanks to the low-maintenance rope kinematics, the crane unfolds with the support of its own drives. The 125 K is the largest of Liebherr’s K series. A well-designed assembly process, and numerous options for hook height and jib length adjustment, make site planning easier. Optimised external dimensions ensure that the K cranes fit into almost any gap. Other customers in the US are also attracted by this; the 125 K is now available from several American rental companies.