IN FOCUS / LIEBHERR TOWER CRANES
NEW FIBRE CRANE HEADED TO NEW ZEALAND During last year’s Bauma, Liebherr launched a new Flat-Top series. Three of the eight units are equipped with fibre rope and therefore have “fibre” added to their product title. The first unit from the series is headed to Auckland, New Zealand. Cranes and Lifting explains.
Operators have an unrestricted view of the site through full-length windows.
NEW ZEALAND CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS Hawkins is the first Liebherr customer in the southern hemisphere to order a fibre crane, a 370 EC-B 12 Fibre. The first eight units of the new series already cover a wide range of services – from small city to large handling cranes, it’s all there. As a result, the maximum load capacities range from 6t to 16t and the maximum jib head load capacities range from 1.6t to 2.8t – working at a maximum radius. At full jib length, the units are among the largest in their class. The 125 EC-B 6 itself reaches 58 metres. The two largest cranes in the series, the 340 EC-B 12 and the 370 EC-B 12 Fibre each have a reach of up to 78 metres. 38 / CAL July 2020
In addition, all cranes are optimised for assembly. The Fibre series are EC-Bs equipped with a fibre hoist rope called soLite. soLite has been jointly developed by Liebherr and Teufelberger, an international company specialising in fibre ropes, steel wire ropes and strapping. According to Thomas Schroeder, executive general manager Liebherr Tower Cranes Australia and New Zealand the launch of the new range followed plenty of research, development and testing. “soLite has been thoroughly tested over a 10-year period, both in the factory and on job sites and the results have been nothing short of stunning. In total, it has
been operated and tested over 318 weeks on 11 tower cranes, with 2,035m of rope utilised and tested in the field, on 15 sites in five countries. The Fibre cranes allow us to get up to 20 per cent more lifting capacity from the same structure. “A good example of this can be made if you compare the 370 EC-B with the 340 EC-B. The steelwork in both is nearly identical but the 370 has 30mt more lifting capacity with the same structure. This is done by reducing the weight of the rope and the hook block,” he said. “There are other advantages of the fibre rope including the fact that it doesn’t need to be greased. Due to its reduced weight, mounting it on the crane is safer and easier to handle and lasts up www.cranesandlifting.com.au
