Liebherr's PowerBoom used on LR 11000

Liebherr’s 1,000t LR 11000 crawler crane has been used with its PowerBoom system for the first time.
The system, a parallel boom that increases load capacities, was used with the LR 11000 crane at a wind turbine project in northern Germany.

Crane contractor Nolte hired the crane from heavy load contractors Felbermayr, based at Wels, Austria, to lift a 220t machine room on to a wind turbine tower at a height of 130m.

The LR 11000 was shipped from the port of Konstanza, Romania after completing a project in Bucharest, and on to the wind turbine site at Bremerhaven being constructed by Senvion.

The increased capacity of the PowerBoom, created by enhanced lateral rigidity and torsional moment, enabled the LR 11000 to handle the load. Operating at a radius of 30m, the crane hoisted a total load of 220t to a height of 130m. Without the PowerBoom, the crane would have only been able to lift 160t to the same height.

Klaus Ruhland, project planner for heavy hoisting work at Felbermayr, said: "Normally an LR 11350 or a CC 8800 would have been required for this hoist."

The finished wind turbine is said to be one of the largest in the world, with rotor blades 152m in diameter. (Source: Cranes Today Magazine)