Liebherr VarioBase® allows bridge to be constructed

Over a period of eight nights, a 100-year old railway bridge was replaced in Aarwangen in the Canton of Bern. It was only possible to erect the cranes LTM 1160-5.2 and LTM 1130-5.1 on a narrow, parallel road bridge using the VarioBase® variable supporting base developed by Liebherr.

Both cranes could be positioned on the side of the road and have the supports variably extended on the side facing away from the load. On the side facing the bridge, this then left enough space to extend the outrigger beams to their maximum length.

The two 5-axle mobile cranes were positioned at either end of the 25 metre bridge sections. After attaching and lifting the load the support pressures on the crane supports were checked again before the section of around 50 tonnes of steel was swung over the river and lowered on to piers, auxiliary piers and abutments. The cranes were set up for this in such a way that the telescopic booms on both cranes were positioned precisely over the completely extended rear supports when the load was lowered so as to achieve maximum load capacities.

The LTM 1160-5.2 has been added to the fleet at Senn AG since summer 2015 in the load capacity class between the existing Liebherr LTM 1130-5.1 and LTM 1200-5.1 mobile cranes. "We would like to continue our long-term relationship with Liebherr and the LTM 1160-5.2 is without doubt the most modern crane in its class on the market" was how Jörg Senn explains the decision to buy the Liebherr crane. "The main factors behind the decision included the new Tier 4 engine technology, the technical feature involving the VarioBase® support system and LICCON2, its modern control software. The adjustable ballast radius which allows the operator to vary between two positions is another fantastic feature", enthused the new owner of the LTM 1160-5.2. He also reported that the 160-tonne machine has a very compact design, is very powerful and, measuring just 2.75 metres in width, is a perfect addition to the fleet at Senn AG.