The LRB 19 is the successor of the tried and tested piling and drilling rigs LRB 16 and LRB 18 and was presented by Liebherr for the first time at Bauma 2025. Budokop Geotechnika is one of the first companies to use the deep foundation model on a jobsite. ‘We opted for the LRB 19 because it is powerful and highly mobile. Thanks to its compact design it can be easily transported, which saves us a lot of time. The radio remote control, which allows the machine to be operated outwith the cabin ensures safety when unloading and loading,’ says Wojciech Sukow, company founder and managing director. The low transport weight of 48.2 tonnes, including the 8-tonne counterweight and auxiliary winch, is part of the mobility concept mentioned above.
Budokop Geotechnika is using the LRB 19 with full displacement equipment on the jobsite in Gdansk, Poland. The foundation piles for the more than 1,000 new flats are not drilled out in this process but created by displacing the soil. One advantage of this application is that it is very efficient because no soil material has to be removed from the jobsite. The concrete for the piles is supplied by the 110 D-K crawler concrete pump from Liebherr, which was specially developed for such applications in deep foundation work. The piles are up to 9 metres deep and have a diameter of 360 millimetres. Particularly challenging is the large scope of the project with 1,772 piles, which have to be installed in just 8 weeks, as well as the hard ground conditions. Due to the coastal location of the construction site on the Baltic Sea, Budokop Geotechnika also has to work very precisely and safely. The groundwater level can be especially high in close proximity to the sea, which makes the application significantly more challenging.
Quick change of attachments
In addition to applications with full displacement equipment as in Gdansk, the LRB 19 can be used for a wide range of tasks in deep foundation work: For piling or vibrating applications, the all-rounder is equipped with the H 6 hammer or the LV 23 and LV 23 F vibrators, all from Liebherr. Drilling with Kelly equipment, double rotary head or continuous flight auger, as well as soil mixing are further areas of application. The various attachments can be easily exchanged using the hydraulic quick connection system – without tools and without the driver having to leave the cabin. All hydraulic, mechanical and electrical connections are automatically coupled. This significantly reduces the set-up time and prevents connecting errors.
Working area restriction helps the driver to monitor the rotation range, working radius or machine height (height adjustment). As soon as the driver tries to move the machine into the pre-defined restricted area, it stops automatically and thus prevents possible collisions. The 450-kilowatt diesel engine and the BAT 180.1 rotary drive with a maximum torque of 180 kilonewton metres ensure the power of the compact LRB 19.
‘The collaboration between Budokop Geotechnika and Liebherr is a true partnership. I value the quality of the machine, the service and the technical support. We’ve been relying on it for a long time,’ says Wojciech Sukow, gazing at the piling and drilling rig LRB 19, which is being applied successfully in Gdansk.
