Last Liebherr LR 1600/2 Crawler Crane Leaves Factory; LR 1700-1.0 Ready To Take Over

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The slewing platform for the last LR 1600/2 is seen here leaving the factory. (Photo courtesy of Liebherr.)

It can be argued that wind power wouldn’t be where it is today without Liebherr’s LR 1600/2. The crawler crane was designed specifically to install wind turbines, and 223 of the 661-ton (600-metric-ton) cranes have been delivered worldwide. The first LR 1600/2 was delivered in summer of 2008, and the last model recently left the factory in Ehingen, Germany. Liebherr designed its LR-1700-1.0, launched this June, to take over for the LR 1600/2 in the wind power market.

Evolving With The Times

The first LR1600/2 configuration, the SL4DFB, was designed for wind turbines at a hub height of 427 to 443 feet (130 to 135 meters). Operators would often set the main boom at 452 ft (138 m) and use a fixed jib of 39.3 ft (12 m). Liebherr modified the LR1600/2’s lifting capacities, hoist heights, and boom systems over time as the size of wind turbines increased, introducing the SL10 and SL13 versions of the crane along the way. New booms for the LR1600/2 allowed the crawler crane to work at hub heights of 492 ft (150 m) or more. During its 13-year run, Liebherr also added features like VarioTray to simplify ballast control and introduced a version with a narrow crawler track.

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Installation of wind power components was the primary job for Liebherr’s LR 1600/2. (Photo courtesy of Liebherr.)

The LR 1700-1.0

With new wind turbines utilizing hub heights of 541 ft (165 m) and requiring lift capacities greater than 110 t (100 mt) at that height, Liebherr’s new LR 1700-1.0 meets the latest requirements for wind farm operations. Liebherr redesigned the static structure of the crawler crane, which is based on the LR1600/2, to increase its lift capacity up to 15% more than its predecessor. The crawler crane’s main boom reaches between 335 and 650 ft (102 and 198 m), and the maximum 770-t (700-mt) load capacity is available at a radius of up 28 ft (8.5 m).

Source: Liebherr