Liebherr’s new 2,500 tonne capacity large crawler crane (first sold to Sarens, as reported here: www.cranestodaymagazine.com/news/sarens-gets-first-liebherr-lr-12500-10-crawler-9608120) uses a wide lattice boom design which it has called HighPerformanceBoom. Liebherr said that the wide nature of the boom is key to the crane’s high lifting capacity, providing the same stability seen in its PowerBoom double boom system but integrated into the slewing platform in a more optimised manner.
This, it said, is made possible by a special superstructure front section, which can be transported on a low-bed trailer at a width of just four metres.
The slewing platform is supplemented by a 3.5 metre wide rear section which is also home to the two power units. Two Liebherr six-cylinder in-line engines deliver a total of 800 kW/1088 bhp. They have a redundant design to increase the crane’s availability. There is no separate power pack. The two main hoist winches are also on this rear section.
The intermediate sections of the HighPerfomanceBoom each measure 10 metres in length and are reduced to an economical transport size by a refined mechanism. A separate device stabilises the lattice section during the erection process on site.
The chain is removed and transported in containers for transporting the crawler carriers, each of which weigh around 150 tonnes. The remaining chain girder is divided and moved on two low loaders. The 25 tonne ballast slabs are identical to those used on the LR 13000. They have the same dimensions of a 20 foot container to ensure they can be transported particularly economically and can be loaded using a spreader.
The LR 12500-1.0 is designed for a transport width of 3.5 metres. Only two components of the new 2,500 tonne crane have a transport width of 4 metres.
Modular boom system
A maximum hook height of around 200 metres is achieved by the new LR 12500-1.0 using a 100 metre main boom and a 108 metre luffing jib. Installed with a short length, the luffing jib also acts as a particularly powerful WV jib. The “vessel lifter” is ideal for the erection of long columns in petrochemical plants, said Liebherr.
The maximum 110 metre HighPerformanceBoom can be extended to a 155 metre boom using parts of the luffing jib. The ballast pallet on the derrick boom of the LR 13000 acts as suspended ballast. If the crane has to operate without suspended ballast in constricted conditions, it can also operate without derrick ballast in what is known as a B0 version. This principle has also been adopted from the LR 13000. The suspended ballast is infinitely adjusted with the derrick boom. The ballast radius can be extended to the maximum radius with a rigid guide.
