First mobile construction crane in the fleet: Hess opts for Liebherr MK 140-5.1E

Hess GmbH offers a wide range of different mobile cranes: truck-mounted cranes, lorry-mounted loading cranes, specialized electric cranes for indoor work and now also a mobile construction crane. However, when deciding on the Liebherr MK 140-5.1E, a challenge well known in the crane industry had to be overcome. “The MK is our first mobile construction crane. We'd been thinking about it for two years, but we didn't have the right staff. At the end of last year, we were lucky enough to find the right operator for it, and it was clear to us that now was the time to take the ‘MK’ step,” reports Oliver Kuldtzun, Head of the Crane Division at Hess. “As we are very loyal Liebherr customers, it was clear to us that if we were to get a mobile construction crane, it had to be a Liebherr.”

Hess GmbH is planning to use the new lifting machine primarily for operations in inner-city areas. “The MK is the ideal machine for such confined environments. With its vertical tower and trolley jib, it clears obstacles very easily. We have a large client base in the air conditioning and ventilation sector, as well as in antenna construction. We have also already had several assignments in hall construction and steel construction,” says Kuldtzun. Hess deliberately opted for the largest MK crane in the Liebherr portfolio: “Thanks to its performance and jib length, the MK 140-5.1E is a highly sought-after crane on the market.”

Proven in action

The first job for the new MK 140-5.1E in Düsseldorf city center was particularly tight: the crane had to be set up between two trees and had to be moved around repeatedly whilst the tower was being erected. As self-ballasting was not possible due to the trees, the counterweight was attached using a loading crane. The lift itself went smoothly: a 3.2-tonne chiller unit was hoisted into the courtyard of the Steigenberger Parkhotel.

During an operation in Krefeld involving the dismantling of antennas, the MK 140-5.1E demonstrated its advantages over a telescopic crane. A 150-tonne mobile crane would have required the fitting of a lattice jib and would have had to be repositioned on site. The MK 140-5.1E was able to reach all working positions from a single location.