Frank McAlonan, Technical and Operations Director, and Charlie Lowe, Head of Operations, accepted the new LTM 1090-4.2 on behalf of Global Crane Services at the Liebherr production plant in Ehingen. “It's a model that’s truly proven its capabilities. We already have four cranes of this type and we’re very happy with them”, explains McAlonan. Lowe adds: “The LTM 1090-4.2 is a very versatile and powerful crane, and for us covers a very wide range of applications, from timber construction and finished parts assembly to port handling, for instance the loading of wind turbine blades. We also use it in the oil and gas industry, as well as using it as an auxiliary crane for our large cranes.”
Economical all-rounder on four axles
Liebherr unveiled the LTM 1090-4.2 as an economical all-rounder on four axles in 2017 at CONEXPO, Las Vegas. The new mobile crane combines mobility, performance and economy in a superb package. With its 60-metre-long telescopic boom, it exceeded its predecessor, the LTM 1090-4.1, by 10 metres. The new 90-tonne crane also offered improved mobility: it can handle the demands of global markets with axle loads of 10 tonnes, 12 tonnes and 16 tonnes.
Even in countries where mobile cranes with a 12-tonne axle load are permitted on the roads, crane operators really value cranes that can be driven with 10 tonnes per axle by simply removing the ballast. This version delivers major benefits for obtaining licences and route permits.
Since mobile cranes can be driven on public roads with axle loads of up to 16.5 tonnes in the United Kingdom, the LTM 1090-4.2 can carry along all of its ballast of 22.5 tonnes to the construction site without any additional transport vehicle. “For us, this is especially cost-effective and the setup time is consequently minimal”, explains Lowe.
Transition from oil and gas to renewable energies
Global Crane Services was founded in 2013 with the takeover of the Port Service Group, whose roots go back as far as 1986. The sister company Global Wind Projects was founded in 2021. Both companies are subsidiaries of Global Port Services, part of the Inverness and Aberdeen-based Global Energy Group, a services group for the energy sector.
The Group has around 70 mobile cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 40 to 750 tonnes. With just one exception, all are from Liebherr and the majority of cranes in the fleet have been purchased within the last six years. The three large lattice boom cranes, one LR 1750/2 and two LG 1750s, are mainly used in wind power projects and also represent the transition from oil and gas to renewable energies. McAlonan states: “The quality of the cranes, the comfort for the operator and the after-sales service all speak volumes for Liebherr. We have had an excellent relationship with Liebherr right from the start.”
