Press releases | 2022-08-22

Flexibility on eight axles: Colonia takes over Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane

LTM 1650-8.1 closes gap between 400- and 750-tonne mobile cranes in fleet
Colonia opts for 54- and 80-metre telescopic booms
Detachable telescopic boom offers increased mobility and flexibility

Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge Gottfried Schönges GmbH & Co. KG has taken delivery of a Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane. With the new crane, the Cologne-based company replaces a 15-year-old 500-tonne crane and strengthens its fleet in the range between 400 and 750 tonnes lifting capacity. In addition to the high performance, the flexibility and mobility of the Liebherr 8-axle crane were important decision criteria. Colonia ordered the 54 and 80 metre telescopic boom as well as equipment to be able to remove the telescopic boom easily, quickly and without an auxiliary crane.

For optimised transport logistics, Liebherr has designed a solution to enable the telescopic boom to be fitted and removed quickly and easily: The LTM 1650-8.1 can be driven without its boom with a total weight of less than 60 tonnes. This significantly increases mobility on public roads. The reduced total weight means that more bridges can be crossed, for example, which saves detours and time. Colonia sales manager Thomas Reuther explains: "We have to face the difficult infrastructure problems especially here in the Cologne area. For this reason, we were the first in Germany to tackle the issue of detachable booms. The LTM 1650-8.1 is now the fourth large crane with this system in our fleet. More will follow in the future."

Colonia's main areas of operation are in the chemical sector. The LTM 1650-8.1 will also find its work mainly in the Cologne chemical belt, in addition to many other applications and activities. "The LTM 1650-8.1 was the only reasonable alternative for us to close our gap between the LTM 1400-7.1 and LTM 1750-9.1. In order to take full advantage of all the technical possibilities of the LTM 1650-8.1, we opted for the 54-metre and also the 80-metre telescopic boom. The variable support base VarioBase® and the hydraulically adjustable ballast radius VarioBallast® are Liebherr innovations that we no longer want to do without. They were also reasons for us to opt for the new Liebherr 8-axle crane," says Reuther.

Colonia Spezialfahrzeuge celebrated its 75th anniversary two years ago. It all started in 1945 with a self-built trailer and a towing vehicle. In the 1960s, the first truck-mounted cranes were acquired. In 2020, Colonia entered the crawler crane class with the Liebherr LR 1800-1.0. Today, with around 220 employees, the company offers industrial assembly and towing services in addition to heavy-duty and crane rental.