Longer and stronger: Schäfer takes delivery of a Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 mobile crane

Stefan Schäfer, the second-generation head of the family business, arrived in person to collect the new crane from Liebherr's manufacturing plant in Ehingen. He says: "With the 60-metre telescopic boom of the LTM 1090-4.2, we can now do jobs which required us to erect a folding jib on the previous 80-tonne crane. In addition, the new crane is significantly more capable, especially with the adjustable VarioBallast®."

The LTM 1090-4.2 can be operated with two different ballast radii: 3.77 m or 4.71 m. The ballast radius can be reduced quickly and easily by 940 mm using standard mechanically adjusted ballast cylinders. The small radius provides a significant advantage in confined operating conditions, and maximum lifting capacities are achieved thanks to the large ballast radius.

Another highlight of the 90-tonner from Liebherr is its ability to carry up to 8.8 tonnes of ballast with a 12-tonne axle load. This means it can handle a large number of assignments without additional transport. "We can also rent out the new LTM 1090-4.2 as a 60- or 70-tonne crane without any problems. When we need more power, we can use a ballast trailer for the extra counterweight," says Schäfer. "We were immediately convinced of the advantages of the new 4-axle crane when the LTM 1090-4.2 was presented at the customer days in Ehingen back in 2018. Technical advances such as VarioBase® und VarioBallast® increase the crane's range of applications. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we then held back somewhat in terms of new investments."

Schäfer plans to use the LTM 1090-4.2 for typical crane rental applications, including industrial assembly, inspection work, machine relocation and container relocation.

Stefan Schäfer's father, Martin Schäfer, founded the crane and transport company in 1990. Today, with four branches and around 35 employees, the company operates numerous transport vehicles and ten mobile cranes with lifting capacities of up to 130 tonnes. Seven of its cranes were built by Liebherr.

Schäfer explains: "We are very satisfied with Liebherr and we feel we are in good hands. Their service is competent and fast, spare parts are delivered quickly. When problems arise, Liebherr is approachable and solution-oriented. And in terms of technology, Liebherr is miles ahead. For us, it's a huge advantage that the individual crane types share similar crane controls. This means we can assign our operators flexibly to the different machines.”