Dutch crane and transport specialist Verschoor has expanded its fleet with the addition of a Liebherr LR 11000. The company has already used the crane to install two wind turbines at the Vanikum wind farm near the Dutch border.

The company purchased the crane in order to futureproof its capability to instal increasingly taller wind turbines with corresponding hub heights and heavier nacelles.

For the work at Vanikum the LR 11000 assembled various components, such as the tower sections, nacelle and rotor blades, at a height of 169 metres.

The heaviest single component it lifted was the gearbox which weighed 117 tonnes. The crane was set up for the lifts with a 168-metre-long main boom and 15-metre lattice type fixed jib.

According to Liebherr, the LR 11000 is characterised by its economical transport concept and is designed for a transport width of 3.5 metres and a transport height of 3.2 metres. The V-frame with its adjustment distance of 17 metres moves the derrick ballast into the required position and reduces the workload for ballast handling.

“The lifting power of the LR 11000 is enormous,” said Maarten Verschoor Jr. who manages the company.

The ability to transport the crane within the weight limits also played a role in the company’s pur-chase decision. “It was also important for us to have crawler cranes in our fleet in addition to jib cranes,” added account manager Peter Verschoor.