Liebherr's Swiss Army crane

The units were built at Liebherr-Werk Ehingen, Germany and completed in Reiden, Switzerland. The cranes were fitted with minor supplements such as crates for wood and snow chains as well as cameras and additional equipment for building steel girder bridges.

One of the uses for the all-terrain cranes will be to build temporary bridges. Liebherr said that it designs and builds consoles, which are installed on the partially extended sliding beams for these special projects. A two and a half tonne girder is placed on these and secured. A connecting yoke is positioned on the girders for driving on to the bridge. The mobile crane then drives on to the steel girder bridge and fits the elements it is carrying at the appropriate end on the piles. Whilst the crane is driven back on land and is loaded for the next cycle, a wheel loader lays the road surface.

The Swiss Department for Defence, Civil Protection and Sport has now bought a total of ten Liebherr cranes in various lifting capacity classes since 1994.