Dieter Kroesche, centre, accepts a symbolic key from Liebherr Ehingen managing director Hans-Georg Frey, right. On left is sales manager Erich Schneider.

Krösche-Kran Service GmbH has been operating truck-mounted telescopic cranes in its fleet for more than three decades, and with more than a hundred Liebherr LTF 1030-3 units is Liebherr’s biggest client for this type of crane. Dieter Krösche himself contributed valuable input to the design and development of the new LTF series thanks to his vast experience and new ideas – input which Liebherr was pleased to make into technical reality. According to Krösche, the new LTF 1035-3.1 and LTF 1045-4.1 are the most economical, most efficient and lightest two-engine cranes on truck chassis anywhere in the world. The new LTF cranes from Liebherr meet the requirements for unrestricted nationwide travel permits in accordance with Article 29, and can be used particularly economically as taxi cranes. In this context, the three-axle LTF 1035-3.1 can carry two tonnes of ballast, while the four-axle LTF 1045-4.1 handles five tonnes. In both full ballast and partial ballast configuration, the lifting capacities have been increased substantially compared to their predecessors. Lifting capacity increases of up to 30% have been combined with telescopic booms that are about 15% longer.

Among the key criteria for Dieter Krösche were the low operating costs. The structural design of the standard truck units means that they have lower fuel consumption than a comparable all-terrain crane. Fuel consumption in crane operation is markedly lower too, because the LTF 1035-3.1 and LTF 1045-4.1 are equipped with separate superstructure engines. Using a standard truck chassis also adds the advantage of lower prices for tyres, parts subject to wear and spare parts, which are manufactured in large-scale series production.

And because LTF cranes have to be able to manoeuvre on restricted construction sites, the compact dimensions of the new cranes were another major factor in their development. Thanks to the use of chassis units from Scania, overall lengths of chassis and crane height could be optimised without the need for cost-intensive lowering of the cab. The support base width of only 6.2 metres combined with a ballast radius of 3m.