SECTOR REPORT Ӏ LATTICE BOOM CRAWLERS
INNOVATION IN THE MIDDLE
The mid-range of the lattice crawler sector offers a balance between lifting power and ease of set up and use. These are workhorse cranes with less complexity than their heavy weight counterparts. Innovation, however, still matters. Will North reports.
Lattice boom crawler cranes have in recent years seen increased competition at both lower and higher capacity classes. On the smaller side, below 100t, these cranes now compete for many jobs with two types of telescopic boom cranes: rough terrains (RT), and telecrawlers. And this rivalry extends up well into the mid-range. Many RTs now exceed 100t capacity, and telecrawlers are offered by Liebherr and Link-Belt with lifting capacities over 200t. At the higher end large all terrains with capacities up to 1200t offer competition on some jobs. Users like Sarens, BMS, and Mammoet have worked with partners to build their own lattice boom cranes, often able to be powered electrically. And modular lifting equipment —box jacks and jacking towers, for example — can offer a different way to raise heavy loads, without the need for space to assemble a long boom. But there are a range of
medium-to-long-term jobs where these cranes have no rivals. They can work on sites that are not suitable for all terrains, on pre-construction work, where
Mountain Crane’s Liebherr LR 1400 SX. The crane debuted at ConExpo 2023
longer on-site travel is expected. They are typically cheaper
where they will be used for longer periods. On major infrastructure and civil projects, like the UK’s HS2, they will be used in large numbers: and this can leave fleets vulnerable to arbitrary political decisions, as seen on this project.
THE WIDENING MIDDLE Liebherr has traditionally split its crawler manufacturing between two factories: Ehingen, Germany, where heavy lift crawlers are manufactured alongside rough terrains and all terrains; and Nenzing, Austria, where it builds lower capacity crawlers and duty cycle machines – and, historically, dockside cranes. Until late 2021, that split in function had been demarcated by a clear dividing line: below 300t in Nenzing, above 300t in Ehingen. But with the announcement of the LR 1400 SX in late 2021, this clear distinction was blurred. The new Austrian crane was larger than the smallest crane offered by its German sister factory, and the same capacity as the smallest crawler offered by heavy lift focussed rival Tadano through its former Demag Zweibrucken factory. The difference between the
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