Delivery of first Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1 mobile crane

Company proprietor Markus Ley, who travelled with his wife to take delivery of the new crane at the Liebherr Plant in Ehingen, said: "We had been looking for a powerful fast-erecting crane which could be set up easily with few personnel for some considerable time. When we heard about the LTM 1450-8.1, we quickly made a decision to buy the crane. Its long boom enables the LTM 1450-8.1 to reach great heights quickly and easily."

The company's previous largest crane was a Liebherr 6-axle model. Ley is planning to use its new 450-tonne crane for repairing wind turbines and as an auxiliary crane for erecting the latest generation of wind turbines, among other things. Ley said: "We are also expecting a great deal of work for the LTM 1450-8.1 from bridge replacements on autobahns. 38 new bridges are planned on the A45 autobahn alone. The old ones must be removed and the new bridges then installed."

The new LTM 1450-8.1 is also ideal for assembling prefabricated concrete parts and relocating machines. Ley explained: "Machines today are often hoisted over the roof of the building that houses them. That requires a powerful crane with a long boom." Ley also appreciates the flexibility of the new Liebherr 450-tonne crane in terms of road licences. "We bought the "removable telescopic boom" option. That means that in addition to the 96-tonne licence we also have one for a gross weight of less than 60 tonnes. That makes things much easier for us for travelling on public roads."

The longest telescopic boom on public roads

The new LTM 1450-8.1 crane features, at 85 metres, the longest telescopic boom in the world that can be carried on public roads with a 12-tonne axle load. This includes all four supports, the 16 size tyres, hoist winch, 16x8 drive, retarder and Telma eddy current brake.

The new 450-tonne crane from Liebherr features easy handling and modern mobile crane technology. The new crane also makes it possible to work with a variable ballast radius. The VarioBallast® enables the ballast radius to be reduced with infinite adjustment from 7 metres to 5 metres using a simple hydraulic system, a feature which is very practical on constricted sites.

Ley-Krane GmbH und Co. KG

Ley-Krane GmbH und Co. KG operates a fleet of over 200 platforms and 15 mobile cranes with lifting capacities between 50 and 450 tonnes with its 30-strong workforce. The company dates back as far as 1850. The company started as a carpentry specialising in the erection of houses and commercial buildings. Mobile cranes, which were initially only used for the company's own hoisting needs, gained in significance towards the end of the 1970s and the company became a service provider. Today it is managed by the sixth generation of the same family.