Press releases | 09/26/2017 Liebherr mobile crane lifts military history exhibit

  • Pre-owned LTM 1350-6.1 crane direct from the crane manufacturer
  • LTM 1095-5.1 assists with the positioning of the helicopter
  • Crane company Rieger und Moser provides everything from transport logistics to crane work

Rieger & Moser GmbH & Co. KG from Ulm marked the end of a Sikorsky CH-53's life of service with a special deployment. A Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1 mobile crane lifted the restored helicopter onto pre-prepared concrete supports. This exhibition piece will in future welcome visitors to the Kurt Georg Kiesinger Barracks in Laupheim.

Attaching the lifting equipment to the lifting beam on the transport helicopter's main rotor.

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The CH-53 on its final "flight".

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The helicopter is positioned on the pre-prepared foundation points.

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Made it: the transport helicopter now sits proudly on the concrete supports.

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To set the helicopter on the three pre-prepared foundation points, Rieger und Moser deployed its Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1 mobile crane. The company purchased the crane directly from the crane manufacturer as a pre-owned model one year ago. Crane driver Michael Rost reports: "The crane is in an excellent condition, and it's a pleasure to drive. I'm very happy."

With a counter-weight of 40 tonnes, the LTM 1350-6.1 from Rieger & Moser lifted the nine-tonne helicopter by its main rotor using a special lifting beam. The CH-53 took around ten minutes to make its final "flight" to its location in front of the barracks. Using guy ropes on two sides, soldiers secured the museum piece and guided into the required position. The subsequent manoeuvring onto the concrete supports was a lengthy process, because the helicopter had to be moved into a position similar to the one it would adopt in flight. This is where an LTM 1095-5.1 from Rieger and Moser came in. Minor corrections had to be made to the supports before the crane driver Michael Rost was able to position his unusual load with millimetre precision.

The decommissioned CH-53 is an exhibit from the military history collection. "The helicopter's special paintwork has a specific background", explains Lieutenant Colonel Manderscheid, adding: "The helicopter was produced in Germany. The grey paint on the tail and the Pegasus painted on the side denotes its previous ownership by the army. The various deployments that the helicopter was involved in are also marked on it. Since January 2013, the helicopter has been owned by Helicopter Squadron 64 of the German Air Force, as symbolised by the blue colouring on the nose." The CH-53 was brought into the service of the German Army in May 1972. By the time of its final flight on the 14th of April 2016, it had spent a total of 6,370 hours in the air.

Rieger & Moser GmbH und Co. KG has been part of the global Schmidbauer Group since 1985. At its site in Ulm, Rieger & Moser has a workforce of just over 40 operating 20 mobile cranes with load capacities ranging from 30 t to 350 t. The fleet also includes various heavy goods transport vehicles. The company has been growing steadily over the last few years and now provides everything from CAD-based site planning and transport logistics to crane work.

Downloads

Here you will find the press release and images for download.

Presseinformation Deutsch PDF (24 KB)
Press Information English PDF (23 KB)

Contact

Wolfgang Beringer

Marketing and Communication


Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH

Dr.-Hans-Liebherr-Straße 1

89584 Ehingen

Germany