The first job for the brand-new 450t eight-axle crane was the dismantling of a 75m tower crane at a construction site. The 85m telescopic boom on the LTM 1450-8.1 meant that no extra equipment was required for this job. After a set-up time of less than two hours during the night, the team from BKL Ingolstadt was able to start dismantling the tower crane in the morning.
The tower crane had been set up in autumn 2016, using the LTM 1450-8.1’s big brother, the 500t LTM 1500-8.1. That crane had to be used with a 35m fixed jib and roads around the site had to be cordoned off. But those were unnecessary with the 450t machine. “For jobs like this where the full capacity of the LTM 1500-8.1 is not required, we can save set-up time, trucks and we don’t need an auxiliary crane," said Rainer Speich, BKL site manager in Ingolstadt.
The 85m telescopic boom on the LTM 1450-8.1 was not the only reason behind its purchase. "The VarioBase variable support base, the VarioBallast ballasting system and the long, very strong main boom mean that the crane is incredibly flexible to use", explained Speich. "We can get it into narrow alleys where previously the best we could offer was a 200t crane."
The ballast radius can be adjusted variably under load between 5-7m; and, for the first time, the crane can also be ballasted at the rear. The crane places the base plate for the ballast on an adapter plate at the rear end of the superstructure. This can be a benefit if, for example, the front of the crane has to be placed under an obstacle such as a tree or a railing or the ballast blocks cannot be swung past the side of the crane due to lack of space.
Speich mentioned another feature which he regards as very important. An increasing number of road bridges can only support a restricted load, meaning that axle loads have to be reduced. The 1450.8.1 can be reduced to an axle load of 10t. To achieve this, the telescopic boom must be partly removed and the two rear outriggers taken off the crane. "Although that takes around two hours, if the alternative is a major diversion, it can certainly be worthwhile" he said.
The LTM 1450-8.1, which in some features get very close to the lifting capacity of a 500t crane, certainly completed its debut job in Donaustadt with flying colours, Liebherr says. The telescopic boom extended to its full length suffered hardly any visible bending when the load was attached to it. The final summary of the man who will be the regular driver of the crane in the future left no room for doubt: "It's just a fantastic machine.”
