German transportation company Hofmann Kran-Vermietung erected two N163 5.7 wind turbines at a former military site in Bitburg-Prüm, Germany, using a Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 crane.
This was the first job completed by the new LR 1800-1.0 crawler crane, which Hofmann Kran procured specifically for wind power and large-scale assembly work. This crawler crane provides a lifting capacity of up to 800 tonnes and hook heights of over 200 m.
In April 2024, the crane was transported directly from the Liebherr plant in Ehingen to Prüm and assembled in collaboration with Liebherr fitters – in the HSL4 boom configuration with a 165 m main boom and a 12 m lattice fixed jib. The HSL4 system is currently the most powerful system available for the LR 1800-1.0; with a 174 m main mast and 21 m lattice type fixed jib, it can erect wind turbines with a hub height of up to 179 m.
The crane was ballasted with 170 tonnes on the slewing platform, 70 tonnes in the undercarriage, plus a further 400 tonnes of suspended ballast. The ballast is only necessary for erecting the boom, with a small amount of ballast on the VarioTray being enough for the crane to carry out lifts.
Crane driver Valerij Ren said: “We have to completely dismantle the LR 1800-1.0 within a week and reassemble it near the second system in Prüm, 300 m from our current location. This can be done with six people and a 100-tonne auxiliary crane. The new Liebherr crawler crane is extremely easy to assemble.”
