“The new way of assembling the complete Y-guying system, which we call Superlift, really saves us an enormous amount of time. And speed is the decisive factor on our construction sites here in Paris,” explains Daniel Pereira, Managing Director of Montagrues. He is already at the construction site in the early hours of the morning to watch the first assembly of the new mobile crane. With its new LTM 1400-6.1, Pereira wants to pay particular attention to the self-assembly of the Y-guying system. “The quick assembly of the Superlift represents a real innovative step,” says Pereira. And the smooth process in Paris confirms this in practice.
The brand-new mobile crane arrives on site before daybreak. Once the crane has been precisely positioned on the very limited footprint, the set-up work begins, which is supervised by a Liebherr service technician. Self-assembly of the ballast frames and all counterweights is quick and easy. The
LTM 1400-6.1 then lifts the complete Y-guying system from the low-loader and places it on its undercarriage. The subsequent luffing of the boom then ensures that the hydraulic quick coupling connects automatically with the telescopic boom. Bolting is ultimately carried out hydraulically and is controlled by the crane operator. Only the electrical connection is established manually.
Solidlink makes it happen
This time-saving process is made possible by a technology that Liebherr has successfully adapted from the earthmoving sector. The fully automatic Solidlink quick coupling system has been used there for a long time to quickly change attachments. Solidlink is now being used for the first time on the LTM 1400-6.1 for the fully automatic connection of the Y-guying system and telescopic boom.
Once the crane has been positioned, the crane operator and set-up personnel only need around two hours in total to place the 90 tonnes of ballast and install the Y-guying system ready for use. “The Superlift was installed in less than an hour – and that was the very first time it was set up,” summarises Daniel Pereira with satisfaction. An LTM 1060-3.1 then takes care of the attachment of the lattice jib.
The subsequent deployment of the mobile crane runs just as smoothly as its assembly. “We have to dismantle a large Liebherr top-slewing crane with a hook height of 75 metres. About a year ago, we assembled this construction crane with our LTM 1450-8.1,” explains Daniel Pereira. “Because this crane is not currently available to us, the new LTM 1400-6.1 with Superlift and a 17.5-metre-long fixed jib is now being used here.”
Only Liebherr in the fleet
Daniel Correia, who is responsible for dismantling the mighty tower crane with his team, is also impressed by the performance of the new mobile crane. “We have to make do with a very small footprint for the crane here, but the LTM 1400-6.1 can still be used brilliantly.” Correia is the head of STME Grues, a company specialising in the assembly of large tower cranes with two sites south of Paris. “With around 25 employees, we have a great deal of experience in this segment. Our largest mobile crane, an LTM 1300-6.2, is too small for the job. This is why we’re cooperating with Montagrues here. At STME, we only have Liebherr cranes. We appreciate the quality of the machines as well as the reliable support.”
Montagrues has also been using only mobile cranes from Liebherr for decades. “Our fleet of around 40 machines ranges from 30-tonne cranes to the LTM 1450-6.1 and covers all lifting capacity classes in between. There are also numerous tractor units and around 30 trailers,” says Pereira. “We have had a close partnership with Liebherr for some 40 years now. The cranes from Ehingen are becoming more and more efficient and their jib lengths – extremely important for us here in Paris – are getting longer and longer. Liebherr also offers first-class after-sales service. For us, Liebherr is simply the best manufacturer of mobile cranes.”
