Hird mobile crane operator Craig Jessop put it well: “It’s really a very smart computer, that’s very good at lifting.”
Our Product of the Month for July is the Liebherr LMT1060 3.1 all-terrain mobile crane.
It’s the crane with a brain.
We have all got used to the idea that our vehicles are controlled by onboard computers.
Chips to go
But did you know the first computer was put into a car as early as 1968?
First used by VW, the transistorised electronic gizmo made by Bosch controlled a new fuel injection system in VW’s Type-3 cars.
Half a Century on, the computer in the Liebherr mobile crane, also made in Germany, is many, many times more powerful.
In fact, if it were to be made from transistors, like VW’s gadget, it would probably be bigger than the crane.
The computer makes lifting with the Liebherr LMT1060 3.1 safer, more productive, and more flexible. And it is Hird customers who benefit.
Digital lifting allows our Liebherr LMT1060 3.1 to carry out lifts in ways that would be nigh on impossible for mobile cranes just a few years ago.
Confined spaces
The three-axle crane has a maximum safe working load (SWL) of 60 tonnes and is particularly good at working in restricted spaces.
As such, it has particularly high load capacities and long boom systems for a relatively compact mobile crane.
At the core of this capability is Liebherr’s award-winning VarioBase system.
It has a sophisticated load limiter that allows outriggers to extend to different lengths.
That means the crane can be positioned right up against a structure with, for example, one of its outriggers not deployed, and still carry out a lift.
Combined with its computing power, it means our LMT1060 3.1 can be used to carry out lifts we would never attempt with a less sophisticated mobile crane.
These capabilities came into their own when the crane was used to lift a floating art installation into Hull Docks.
Quayside space was limited so it helped greatly to be able to use such a compact mobile crane.
Big benefits
Fast and smart set up and derigging systems, plus sophisticated wireless remote control, add to the crane’s productivity, precision and safety.
All this adds up to significant benefits for our customers:
- The Liebherr LTM1060 3.1 mobile crane can tackle jobs that would otherwise have to be done by a larger and more-costly-to-hire crane or through multi-stage lifts.
- Its ability to get into and work in confined space reduces the controlled lifting area, lessening the impact on client operations.
- The crane is faster to set up and derig, boosting productivity and allowing lifts to be carried out more quickly. This is particularly important where there are unavoidable time constraints.
The Liebherr LTM1060 3.1 booms from 10.3 metres up to 48 metres. With the addition of a lattice jib, its maximum tip is 63 metres.
Remote control
The two-piece wireless remote-control unit can be used to both start up and operate the crane.
This allows our operator to set up and control lifts from the most advantageous position, accelerating the lifting process and enhancing safety.
Hird also has a 100 tonne Grove GMK4100L all-terrain mobile crane. Its 60-metre main boom can lift up to 1.6 tonnes at a radius of 48 metres.
We have already used both mobile cranes together on tandem lifts, including one to remove chimney stacks at a giant greenhouse in Yorkshire.
We should make it clear that the Liebherr LMT1060 3.1 might be a brainy beast, but Hird expert lifting personnel are still very much needed.
Our contract lifting and machinery moving experts can plan and manage any lifting job or programme.
Contract lifting
And our Liebherr LMT1060 3.1 mobile crane will be driven to your worksite and controlled by an experienced crane operator.
Whoever heard of computers becoming so smart that a vehicle can drive and operate itself?
Call Hird today to find out how our Liebherr LMT1060 3.1 60-tonne mobile crane can support your lifting needs.
Northern
01482 227333
Central
01302 341659
Western
01384 900388
Southern
0203 174 0658
Email: [email protected]
