4 minutes - magazine 01 | 2026
Old but gold
If you take a look around the factory premises in Ehingen, you will discover a vintage vehicle with an unusual type designation among the ultra-modern mobile cranes: the LI 1010.
LI cranes – compact, robust and a piece of Liebherr history
This Liebherr industrial crane is a relic from the 1970s and sometimes attracts more attention from visitors to the factory than a model from the latest generation.
Originally designed for work in industry and on construction sites, the LI 1010 was built from 1973 to 1978. The former location of our specimen: the steel warehouse on the Ehingen factory premises and later the construction department. With a width of 2.5 metres and a height of less than 3 metres, it is particularly manoeuvrable and compact – ideal for use in confined spaces or indoors.
“The LI 1010 can travel with a load without having to constantly support itself – a real advantage during assembly work,” says production foreman Paul Ried. Today, the 2-axle vehicle is used for the assembly of equipment parts such as double folding jibs on the Mobile Crane Acceptance.
The three from Crane Approval: Paul Ried, Jürgen Seiffert, Julian Spranz (from left to right)
Restoration with passion
The LI 1010 was badly worn after decades of intensive use. Still fully functional, scrapping was out of the question – a restoration project was on the cards: so a team of three dismantled the crane in spring 2025 and replaced the hydraulic hoses, tyres, electrics, gearbox, exhaust and sheet metal. “Our aim was to restore the crane to its original condition. Of course, we couldn’t have done it all on our own,” says Ried, emphasising the good cooperation with other departments: the painting became a trainee project and within four months the industrialcrane was resplendent in its original colours.
Even Customer Service was involved: “Spare parts were usually still available in-house, and any missing components were procured from external suppliers. One manufacturer even found the mould for an aluminium casting and reproduced it,” says foreman Julian Spranz. “The carpenter made us wooden beams that were installed as bumpers, and the Repair Shop provided us with advice and assistance when it came to replacing the window seals.”
Even the old operating instructions and circuit diagram turned up in the chassis of the LI 1010.
Solid steel construction: safe and simple
The LI 1010 never left the factory site and is now the oldest crane on the factory premises. It passes the annual accident prevention inspection without any problems, and the load moment limiter also works perfectly again. “As we have had such positive experiences with this model over the years, we purchased two more industrial cranes,” says Ried. The last one was at a company in nearby Biberach an der Riß and joined Liebherr in Ehingen in the autumn of 2025. The models of type LI 1012, both built in 1992, are still in very good condition and have only required minor refurbishment. “This is solid steel construction: simple and well made. These machines hardly lose any value,” enthuses Spranz and continues: “Liebherr has delivered the LI cranes worldwide, but unfortunately we don’t know how many of them are still in use.”
An eye-catcher on the acceptance site
All three LI cranes are in daily use and continue to operate for up to 600 working hours per year. “Sometimes customers take more photos of the old cranes than of the new ones. We have consistently rejected multiple requests to sell – the crane remains a part of Liebherr’s history,” smiles Ried.
Technical data: LI 1010
- Handles loads of up to 10 tonnes
- Travels at up to 25 km/h
- Has a 12-metre telescopic boom
- Its air-cooled Deutz engine defies even icy winters, and operation is so simple that technology enthusiasts go into raptures
This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2026.
