The UK’s largest crane hire company, Ainscough has taken delivery of the first seven units in a 14-part crane order with Liebherr.
This initial package consists of seven LTM 1230-5.1s and seven LTM 1300-6.3s, replacing various five and six-axle cranes in a move to standardise the fleet, which will benefit Ainscough’s technical staff, operators, mechanics, hire staff and customers.
The five-axle LTM 1230-5.1 boasts a 75-metre main boom which, with various jib combinations, can extend the crane’s hook height to 111 metres. The crane can travel with 22 tonnes of its maximum 72 tonnes of counterweight.
The larger LTM 1300-6.3 can carry a complete 90 metre main boom on six axles and achieve a lifting height of 120 metres. It has been put straight to work on various infrastructure projects and has recently installed bridge beams on the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road Project.
The units have been supplied with Liebherr’s latest technical features including VarioBase® and Windspeed load chart which increases the flexibility when using lifting capacity tables with different maximum wind speeds; the operators and customers have particularly appreciated these two features.
This latest order forms part of a wider strategic move by Ainscough to standardise its entire fleet, running from the twin axle LTM 1040-2.1 all the way to the heavy lift LTM 1650-8.1. Such standardisation will benefit the company and its customers through the use of the latest software such as Crane Finder and Crane Planner 2.0, helping customers plan out their projects in 3D.
Mark James, Ainscough’s Operations Support Director commented: “Over many years of collaboration, Ainscough and Liebherr have built a long-standing partnership which has been invaluable as we constantly strive to improve crane safety and efficiency. The new cranes Liebherr are manufacturing feature longer booms and reduced counterweight than their predecessors, making them easier to transport and bring unprecedented levels of efficiency to our fleet.
“Renewing our fleet across the full range of capacities, with standardised Liebherr models, benefits our customers with greater consistency and improved availability, together with all the efficiencies of Liebherr’s latest technologies.
“Liebherr has been extremely supportive in our drive to improve safety and to reduce human error. We are both working hard to engineer out operator interaction to mitigate risk as much as possible and we can only achieve this by having a long-term strategic relationship.
“We are continuously investing in our fleet to ensure that our customers benefit from the latest equipment and to remain the market leader for lifting services in the UK. This package is just a part of a wider crane investment that currently stands at ca £40m for the past few years”
In addition to this package, the company has already taken delivery of another seven units this year: an LTM 1650-8.1, four LTM 1060-3.1s and a pair of new hybrid LTC 1050-3.1Es. The first of its kind in the UK, the LTC 1050-3.1E is Liebherr’s first mobile crane to operate with zero emissions. It features an electric motor, in addition to its conventional power unit, enabling the lifting operations to be powered electrically. The purchase of this model underpins Ainscough’s commitment to the environment. These cranes are in addition to the 700 tonne LR 1700-1.0 heavy crawler crane delivered last November.
Source: Ainscough Crane Hire
