Liebherr today announced the launch of the completely new LR 12500-1.0 crawler crane with a lifting capacity of 2,500 tonnes at a press conference in Ehingen.
The new product was presented under the slogan “Tomorrow’s energy that will change the rules of the game”. It is currently on the test track and only minimal technical details are known at the moment. What is clear, however, is that it represents bold new design concepts for Liebherr’s new range of large crawler cranes.
The completely new design of the superstructure frame and the main boom has been designed in such a way as to ensure a wide cross-section of the main boom, dubbed “HighPerformanceBoom”, to provide the same stability as the PowerBoom, while keeping the individual components compact enough for economical transport and handling.
The key to the high payload capacity is the lattice boom with a wide base. Current solutions include the double boom concept, such as the Liebherr PowerBoom or SX systems. For the LR 12500-1.0 however, Liebherr engineers have opted for a completely different solution in the form of the “HighPerformanceBoom”. It comprises a special superstructure frame with a transport width of four metres at the front and a transport width of 3.5 metres at the rear.
The new boom sections are 10 metres long and are equipped with a new mechanism to reduce their overall dimensions during transport. A separate device stabilises the lattice section during installation on site. With the exception of two components with a width of four metres, all others had a transport width of no more than 3.5 metres.
‘HighPerformanceBoom’ has a maximum length of 110 metres and can be extended up to 155 metres with lifting boom sections. A maximum hook height of around 200 metres is achieved with a 100-metre main boom and 108-metre lifting gooseneck.
The crane derrick jib ballast tray is made of 3000t LR 13000, as are most of the counterweight plates. It also uses the B0 version of LR13000, which allows it to operate without a derrick ballast. When used, the overhead ballast is infinitely adjustable by the crane control system.
The LR 12500 will be equipped with two Liebherr six-cylinder diesel engines with redundant design to ensure availability in the event of breakdown or maintenance.
The new model fills the gap between the LR 11350, with a lifting capacity of 1350 tonnes, and the LR 13000, with a lifting capacity of 3000 tonnes, and is designed to meet the increasing demand for large crawler cranes for the renewable energy, petrochemical and port handling of the increasingly heavy offshore wind power industry.
Liebherr has not revealed who the main buyer of the new crane is, but it is known to be painted blue, so we can safely assume that the customer is an Austrian company that specialises in super-heavy transport and rental of construction equipment – Felbermayr?