Wagstaff chooses 900 ton Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 with new software upgrade for critical lift

Wagstaff Crane Service based out of Murray, Utah, provided services for installation of a 175 ft., 125,000 pound sky bridge at the new Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women’s Cancers at Huntsman Cancer hospital.

Wagstaff Crane Service was subcontracted to unload, assemble and place a steel pedestrian bridge in its final position on the north side campus expansion. The pedestrian bridge is part of a multi-phase expansion project and ties into the Phase III expansion started in 2011. Due to the location of the bridge and how it integrates into the multi-phase expansion, the bridge needed to be placed prior to the start of any of the Phase V structure, slated to begin construction in 2022.

Presented with the unique challenge of working near a congested area of the hospital with heavy traffic on the side of a mountain, Wagstaff Crane Service employed its flagship crane, the LTM 1750-9.1 with the recent crane software upgrade. The improved load charts made this lift possible, without the upgrade the lift would have been over 90% of the total capacity. The Wagstaff project management team considered a crawler crane as the alternative but it proved to be more costly for all parties involved.

“We were planning for this lift about a year before this took place. Numerous different configurations had been drawn up including a proposal with plans showing a critical lift at 93%. The option to bring in a large crawler crane was also considered due to the fact that the lift was taking place over a functioning hospital clinic with close proximity to power lines, and active life flight helicopters. These risks coupled with a critical lift made some nervous to proceed, until the update was released, and we could present a new and improved lift plan that showed a safer lift,” said Ronnie Wagstaff, Project Manager for Wagstaff Crane Service.

The LTM 1750-9.1 is a popular option among customers because it is easy to transport, can fit in tight spaces, sets up quickly, has high lifting capacity and a variable boom system. “The LTM 1750-9.1 was able to drive to the site with equipment installed with only an additional 11 truckloads of parts needed. The crane was assembled and ready to work in approximately 12 hours,” said Wagstaff.

“A combination of limited site space, constrained site access, fully open facilities adjacent to and below portions of the bridge, weight and distance of the pick, as well as the need for several different configurations for the offloading and ground pre-assembly of the bridge at close radius to the crane and setting of the support steel on the north east side of the Phase 3 building, were all determining factors in the use of the LTM 1750 for this project,” Wagstaff continued.

LTM 1750-9.1 with new software upgrade

An already impressive 900 ton, nine axle, 18 wheel all-terrain crane- the LTM 1750-9.1, is even more powerful with the newest crane upgrade kit and can hoist even heavier loads. The use of refined static calculation methods enables increased lifting capacity values across the entire working range. Owners of the LTM 1750-9.1 can now update the crane software with the new tables and, if necessary, add any additional equipment required.

This latest software upgrade, provides additional value due to the improved load charts. Lifting capacity tables for three wind speeds are now available for this crane and for all the latest new developments. The LTM 1750-9.1 has entered into a higher lifting capacity class due to the new luffing jib configuration used for wind power applications. This delivers significant additional support for customers, both during job planning and in operation. It takes a critical lift and brings it within requirements of the job specifications. During this project “several lifts that were critical – 90% or above, were reduced to 85% or lower,” said Project Manager, Ronnie Wagstaff.