First crawler crane for Krandienst Schulz - Liebherr LR 1600/2 added to crane fleet

We continue to see plenty of demand for cranes in the wind industry. But our large telescopic cranes are no longer suitable for erecting the latest generation of wind turbines", is how company owners Günter Sichward and Michael Schmidt-Pöpping explain their investment in the crawler crane class.

Krandienst Schulz decided to purchase a modern crawler crane with a new, universal boom system – on the one hand the SL13 system makes it possible to erect very long boom systems with a fixed jib. These are ideal for use in the wind power industry. On the other hand the main mast in its short version can be used as a heavy load boom for very heavy loads, such as for offshore handling tasks. "The LR 1600/2 is also very good for bridge refurbishment work where heavy segments need to be hoisted", says Günther Mündel, an authorised officer at Krandienst Schulz.

The new LR 1600/2 has already proven its worth on a wind farm in Neiler in the Swabian Alps where it erected 2.5 MW class turbines. For this job it had to hoist 63 tonnes to a hub height of 138 metres.

Krandienst Schulz has a total workforce of 50 and operates 24 telescopic mobile cranes with load capacities ranging from 30 to 750 tonnes, the vast majority of which were supplied by Liebherr. The traditional Hanseatic company provides classic crane hire services over the whole of the north of Germany.

The company's management deliberated long and hard over taking the step into crawler crane hire. "You need lots of experience and good staff for it. What's more we received excellent support from Liebherr. Our staff were trained extensively at the manufacturing plant by crawler crane specialists", says Günter Sichward.

The new LR 1600/2 is now the fourth Liebherr crane that Krandienst Schulz has bought this year. The two 5-axle LTM 1100-5.2 and LTM 1130-5.1 and the 4-axle LTM 1070-4.2 have also been added to the Hamburg company's fleet.