Stoddart Crane Hire, based in Scotland, has deployed a Liebherr LTM 1150-5.3 mobile crane to mark its 20th anniversary.
Often, due to a lack of options, the cranes and heavy transporters need to be transported to the islands by landing craft, posing major logistical challenges. Currently, Stoddart’s LTM 1040-2.1 and LTM 1090-4.2 are in operation on the Shetland Islands.
“On Unst, Scotland’s northernmost inhabited island, about 400 km away, we’re currently building a new launch ramp for the local spaceport. Our new LTM 1150-5.3 has already been deployed in this island group as well,” said Ewan Stoddart, who runs the company alongside his sister Kerri and father David.
“A key factor in acquiring the new 150-tonne mobile crane was the ability to drive it on public roads with a 10-tonne axle load,” which Stoddart explained is often a requirement.
“The narrow roads here in the Highlands and on the islands frequently cause us problems, but we can usually manage thanks to the flexible ballast configurations on Liebherr cranes. This flexibility is also a major advantage on the ferries that transport us to the islands.”
The LTM 1150-5.3 can carry up to 29 tonnes of ballast, ensuring that delivery of additional ballast blocks is not required, which in turn cuts back on costs for the company as well as its customers.
Stoddart operates seven smaller crawler cranes, along with a fleet of 14 mobile cranes, which will gradually be replaced exclusively with Liebherr models. In the last three years, six LTM cranes have been added to Stoddart’s fleet.
