Press releases | 11/28/2022 Liebherr's LTM 1650-8.1: "A sensational machine"

  • An LTM 1650-8.1 replaces a twenty-year-old Liebherr 500-tonne crane at Fanger Kran AG
  • The new crane's steering programmes and low axle weight allow it to be used in mountainous regions
  • High utilization of the crane is ensured at the customer's own construction materials plant

Fanger Kran AG is based in central Switzerland and recently replaced the flagship of its mobile crane fleet. A Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane is now available for the heaviest load cases of Fanger's customers. The new state-of-the-art mobile crane replaces an LTM 1500-8.1 that had been in use "very reliably" at the broad-based company for around 20 years.

The acid test: on its first job, the LTM 1650-8.1 was tasked with placing almost 60 heavy concrete elements on the shell of a future gymnasium.

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Replacement: the new arrival's predecessor, an LTM 1500-8.1 (on the left in the picture) was still present at the handover of the crane at the Fanger works yard in Schötz. By the way, the first major repair on the now replaced Liebherr crane was a replacement of the luffing cylinders – after almost 20 years in operation.

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Celebration of the inauguration: the newcomer 's arrival was duly celebrated at Fanger. The crane drivers, family members and Liebherr technicians were joined by company boss Fredy Fanger (second from right) and Marcel Hartl, Managing Director of Liebherr-Baumaschinen AG in Reiden (right).

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VarioBallast®: by setting the slewing platform counterweight to the minimum radius, it was possible to erect the mobile crane very close to the scaffolding. Only after swivelling was the counterweight radius increased to extend the load.

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Tip-top" ... this was crane driver Daniel Heiz's verdict during the crane's maiden deployment.

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Group photo on superstructure: crane drivers Daniel Heiz, Kilian Fischer and Tony Burch as well as project manager Stefan Fuchs were trained on the new equipment by Liebherr service technicians Matthias Oberli and Peter Zürcher.

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The brand new heavy-lifter from Fanger has been in use on Swiss construction sites for a few weeks now. The crane, painted silver-grey, had its baptism of fire during the construction of a new gymnasium in Sursee in the canton of Lucerne. Equipped with the T3 boom and 155 tonnes of counterweight, the new arrival was tasked with lifting several concrete trusses weighing almost 60 tonnes onto the building shell. This job was tailor-made for the powerful LTM 1650-8.1, which is packed with modern features, such as the freely adjustable distance of the slewing platform counterweight. Thanks to the option to set the counterweight radius to the minimum when taking on a load, it was possible to place the vehicle very close to the building, thus reducing the overhangs when installing the precast elements. Only when the elements were swivelled over the building was the radius hydraulically set to the maximum distance of 8.40 metres. This removed the need for twenty tonnes of counterweights, which therefore did not need to be transported to the construction site.

Also ideal for use in mountain regions

"We simply wanted the most powerful mobile crane on eight axles," explains Stefan Fuchs, the responsible project manager at Fanger. "With the new mobile crane, we can now realise projects that were not previously possible. Due to its compact design, the LTM 1650-8.1 is already a sensational machine. With the same dimensions as its predecessor, it delivers a significantly higher lifting capacity," says Fuchs. "In addition, we can reduce its total weight to 53 tonnes for road travel if necessary." With this crane, the telescopic boom and the front outriggers can be removed quickly and easily using quick-release fasteners and transported separately. "This makes it even lighter than a normal 5-axle crane," explains Stefan Fuchs. "This is crucial for us, because when driving in mountainous regions we often have limits in terms of the maximum weight of the vehicles. Also, all eight axles on the new crane are steerable."

With the acquisition of the heavy-duty LTM 1650-8.1, Fanger Kran AG, which operates a Liebherr LR 1750/2 crawler crane as well as a dozen mobile construction cranes, has strengthened its position in the crane business in Switzerland. "In general, the loads are getting heavier and heavier," says Fuchs. "The new crane came at exactly the right time for us. Following the job building the new gymnasium in Sursee, the mobile crane will be used frequently at the construction materials plant that also bears the customer's name. From the new machine's cab, crane driver Daniel Heiz described his first experiences with the new acquisition – albeit with typical Swiss brevity: "Tip-top."

Downloads

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

Presseinformation Deutsch DOCX (924 KB)
Presseinformation Deutsch PDF (836 KB)
Press release English DOCX (922 KB)
Press release English PDF (816 KB)

Additional links

Mobile crane LTM 1650-8.1

Contact

Wolfgang Beringer

Marketing and Communication


Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH

Dr.-Hans-Liebherr-Straße 1

89584 Ehingen

Germany