Two LR 1750s, from Felbermayr and Riga/Baumann, team up to dismantle a bridge

Weiland Crane Company from Lampertheim, took a theoretically simple job for the demolition firm – to raise two bridges, hold them while they were cut in two, and then swing the halves lay them down on the riverside.

The first problem was, no one knew how much the two 90m bridges weighed. A tandem lift of a few centimetres revealed the first bridge weighed almost 500t (1,100,000 lbs), or 248t per crane at 30m, which, split equally, was within the 750t capacity of the two LR 1750s used.

Once the load was up, welders were lifted in: after two hours cutting, the halves parted with a loud crack. Cable tensiometers monitored either side of the slings – it was impossible to judge the centre of gravity before the bridge was cut.

A red LR 1750 from Austrian rental company firm Felbermayr took one half, while a blue LR 1750 from Germans Riga/Baumann driven by Riga-boss Uwe Langeer took the other, then crawled back and slewed around to set down the load.

Each crane carried a 56m main boom and 31.5m derrick jib. Ballast hung from the Riga, and on a trailer for the Felbermayr. The Felbermayr trailer had 312.5t counterweight at 18m. A total of 325t of counterweight hung at 20m on the German crane. Both had 170t of superstructure ballast and 45t of central ballast.