Liebher r-Werk Nenzing recently announced their latest improvements and upgrades to its range of mobile harbour cranes. According to Liebherr this is driven by their in-house ‘constant improvement programme,’ a unique facet of the Liebherr philosophy which involves improving on their products to suit customer needs.
In the latest changes, the main components are maintained –the undercarr iage system still retains its place in creating a highly successful manoeuvrable mobile harbour crane; the simple hydrostatic drives remain standard, allowing the same components to be used on all machines and ensure good spares availability and a single system for engineering support; the low wheel loads protect the customers quay from higher point loads of competitor machines; and Liebherr’s in-house control system means no possibility of the system becoming obsolete during the lifetime of the crane.
The new changes alter the whole balance of the range of machines, giving a better lifting coverage for the customer. The range now comprises:
LHM-Lightweight: max. lifting capacity max. outreach
LHM 100 (upgraded) 45 tonnes (upgraded) 30 metres
LHM 180 (new) 64 tonnes 35 metres
LHM 250 (upgraded) 84 tonnes (upgraded) 40 metres (upgraded)
LHM-Heavyweight:
LHM 320 104 tonnes 43 metres
LHM 400 104 tonnes 48 metres
LHM 500 140 tonnes 51 metres
LHM 600 208 tonnes 58 metres
In recent years the focus on improvements has been towards the large end of the crane market as this is where market pressures demanded. Yet the smaller end of the market cannot be ignored, with up to 30 per cent of annual sales falling in to this region.
Like their big brothers, the smaller cranes now all feature technical upgrades that will save the customer money and make the crane a more environmentally friendly machine. These include:
• GRP machinery house on all units, leading to a corrosion-free, lighter structure, with better noise insulation and avoiding steel prices that are still on the increase.
• Internally mounted winches, keeping the components in a better controlled environment and giving longer life and reduced noise levels.
