At its 2009 customer event in Ehingen, Germany, Liebherr exhibited the new LTF 1060-4.1 truck-chassis crane with a maximum load capacity of 66 tons. The new model is an addition to the top end of the cranes intended for installation on truck chassis. With a 131-foot telescopic boom and a more than 52-foot double folding fly jib, the new crane can lift loads to a height of over 183 feet and an outreach of more than 157 feet.
The machine is aimed at the European market, according to Wolfgang Beringer, sales promotion for Liebherr. The company is conducting a feasibility study to see if the machine can be mounted on a five-axle U.S. carrier, but it is as yet undecided.
The new LTF 1060-4.1 is a cost-effective alternative in the taxi-crane category because it can travel on a four-axle chassis with its complete ballast of more than 11 tons on board, without exceeding maximum axle loads of 9.9 tons at the front and more than 11 tons at the rear axles. The crane’s overall weight remains below 46 tons, and its maximum load capacity is available as soon as it reaches the operating site. No other vehicles are needed to carry ballast slabs or working equipment. By reducing the ballast carried on the vehicle, the overall weight can be kept below 36 tons, which makes it easier to license the new model for the road.
The new Liebherr truck crane has been designed for the Scania Type CB 8x4 MHZ four-axle chassis. Economical day-to-day operation is assured by low operating costs: a standard truck chassis, by virtue of its design, has lower fuel consumption than a comparable all-terrain crane. Furthermore, the new LTF 1060-4.1 has a separate superstructure engine with a power output matched to crane operating needs. Fuel consumption is therefore also reduced when the crane superstructure is in operation. A Liebherr four-cylinder diesel with a power output of 175 hp at 1900 min-1 is installed; its maximum torque is 815 Nm at 1500 min-1.
Use of a truck chassis for a crane has advantages in terms of tires and other parts subject to wear, since these are produced in large quantities. Trucks can be obtained, if required, with a sleeper cab, which may offer additional cost benefits for certain types of crane operation.
The new LTF 1060-4.1 offers excellent load capacities with either the complete ballast or part-ballast in use. An important factor in the design and development of this new telescopic-boom truck crane were its compact dimensions, to permit it to maneuver and handle loads even on restricted sites. The support base width of about 22 feet can be reduced in two stages to 19.6 feet and 16.4 feet. The ballast radius is 11.4 feet.
The crane supports are attached to the subframe that links the superstructure with the truck chassis. They are folded out from the chassis, then extended telescopically. Storage space is provided as standard equipment on the support posts themselves and on the subframe, a feature greatly valued by crane operating personnel.
The LTF 1060-4.1 also uses the new Liebherr LICCON 2 crane control system, with scope for additional applications for even greater operating convenience. For the setting-up functions, a mobile multifunctional control and display unit (Bluetooth terminal) is available. With the aid of this unit, the crane’s supports can be extended and retracted conveniently and safely.
By operating the hoisting winch and the telescopic-boom luffing ram by remote control, the crane operator can keep the hook block in sight while attaching and detaching it at the truck’s bumper. This new function greatly simplifies the task: until now the hook block could only be seen with some difficulty with the aid of a mirror from the upper cab, and a second person was often needed to make signals.
As an optional extra, the new LTF crane can be supplied with full radio remote control. All crane movements can then be controlled away from the cab. This crane operator can, for example, secure the load to the hook without assistance. Another advantage is that there is always a direct view of the load, which can be extremely important on complex erecting work.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
