Nicely filling the gap – brand new LTM 1160-5.2 joins new location in Texas from Canadian company Irving Crane.

The new branch of Irving in Texas opened mid-way through 2019. The new LTM 1160-5.2 joins the fleet in Wallisville where already a LTM 1250-5.1 and a LTM 1130-5.1 are running, both having been purchased for this depot last year. All three mobile cranes are used in the niche market of serving the local industrial contractors in the petrochemical market on a taxi crane basis.

Versatility is king

Being new in the area, Irving needs a fleet of flexible all terrain cranes. Gabe Strybos, location manager in Wallisville, explained: ‘We decided on the 190 US-t LTM 1160-5.2 machine because it nicely filled the gap between our 300 US-t and 155 US-t Liebherr machines. We have owned an LTM 1160-5.1 in the past and that size range is a great combination of portability, strength, and reach. The improvements made with the new LTM 1160-5.2 model suited our needs perfectly. First, the narrower carrier improves on-the-jobsite maneuverability, which can often win or lose you the job in the taxi market. Sitting a bit further away may end up requiring a 220-250 US-t class machine. Next, both the VarioBase and VarioBallast options continue to make the machine extremely versatile in the taxi market. Improved fuel efficiency from the single engine is just the icing on the cake when we're travelling the crane throughout the Gulf Coast area.’

Strong relationship and service after the sale are key points

Beside the new LTM 1160-5.2, which was introduced to the world market at the 2014 Conexpo in Las Vegas, Irving also runs two Liebherr Rough-Terrain Cranes at its new location. The LRT 1090-2.1 and the LRT 1100-2.1 are two more points for the Canadian crane company to stand out from other offerings in the region. Employing ten people in Texas, Gabe Strybos gives some more background to the new machines: ‘Irving has been in the crane industry for more than 60 years and we've been fortunate to have great relationships with our manufacturers. Liebherr makes a great product and the LTM product line speaks for itself. Equally important to us is the service after the sale - we do not take the equipment purchasing process lightly, so long-term support is key for us. And this is why we’ve chosen Liebherr here as manufacturer’

Irving Crane was founded more than 60 years ago in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Their core service is the fully engineered, operated and maintained crane service. Additionally, Irving has a branch dedicated to deep foundations and they offer industrial rigging services, machinery moving and heavy haul services with a large SPMT fleet. Operating out of six locations in Canada and the US, Irving employs about 135 people and operates over 100 mobile and crawler cranes.