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Towering c&a mobile self-erecting cranes
advantage
In many countries tower cranes mounted on a mobile
crane carrier are seen as a specialist tool for niche
jobs, such as lifting HVAC units onto rooftops. But
perhaps they should really be seen as an emerging
class of more general purpose cranes, Will North
reports. If we look back over the history of the modern
crane rental industry, there are several examples of
new crane concepts that started out as niche products,
but which went on to become mainstream, or even
leading market sectors.
The roots of the European crane The idea of mounting an up and out
rental sector, and of many of its folding tower crane on a roadgoing
largest businesses, can be traced mobile carrier is not new. Indeed,
back to post war entrepreneurs Liebherr traces the concept to efforts
who mounted homemade cranes to make its original cranes - developed
on decommissioned military in 1949 by its founder Hans Liebherr
trucks. They were replaced - more mobile. This included the KA
in the 1950s by purpose built Series in 1961, followed by the very
lattice truck cranes, and then unusual AUK models of the 1960s and
in the 60s by telescopic truck early 1970s, mounted on Kaeble 6x4
cranes. In the USA and the Middle chassis with trailing tower.
East, Rough Terrain cranes also Some major rental companies took
became a popular lattice mobile them on due to the overwhelming
alternative. Then as we headed appeal of the concept – but it was no
into the 1980s, All Terrains runaway success.
began to emerge,
eventually replacing
truck cranes. Rental
rates for all of these
cranes has tended
to be based on their
nominal capacity,
rather than their
overall load Liebherr’s KA series was introduced in 1961
chart capability.
A 1977
Munsters
crane
The AUK 120 was different beast altogether
At the same time Dutch set up time of a truck crane, in order
manufacturer Munsters introduced to bring this type of crane to the
its first mobile tower crane with short term rental market.
500kg capacity and later mounted The concept gained some traction,
self-erecting tower cranes onto particularly in the Netherlands. It
truck type chassis. And then in was there that Leo Spierings ‘picked
the USA we had the Grove/GCI up the baton’ in the late 1980s and
tower with lattice or telescopic jib went on to do more than anyone to
mounted built into a semi-trailer develop and promote the concept
type chassis. and take it more mainstream. His
They were all trying to combine the idea was to design a high capacity
benefits of a tower crane’s up & purpose built self-erecting tower
over reach, with the rapid travel and crane mounted on a modern crane
February/March 2021 cranes & access 25
mobile self-erecting cranes c&a It’s all in a
Maarten van Brink,
and Liebherr’s product
name
director for the mobile One way to help promote a
construction crane new concept is to have a clear
business, Wolfgang widely used name. All Terrains
Schlaucher. for example combined a Rough
Terrain and truck crane, suitable
While Munsters was a to both unprepared sites and
The Spierings cab
pioneer of the concept, fast smooth road travel. Today
in top position
it has not played a they have very little in common
major role in the market with RTs.
for some time and has Just as Liebherr’s MK range
passed through a number compares with that of Spierings Spierings calls its cranes
of hands and name for lifting capacity, so both ranges ‘mobile tower cranes’. Liebherr
changes since 1976 are designed for rapid set up, with prefers ‘mobile construction
A young Leo Spierings in
1990 with his first crane An SK 345-AT3 when it became De Jong- the crane ready to go in under 30 crane’ a direct translation of the
Munsters. Belgium’s minutes: 10 to 15 minutes to set up German term Mobilebaukrane
carrier. Liebherr followed soon after Arcomet acquired the business the crane on outriggers, and then a - Baukrane, directly translates
when it launched its MK series of in the early 2000s and developed similar length of time to fully erect as ‘construction crane’, but in
‘mobile construction cranes. What the AF38, a self-erector mounted the tower and jib. Set up is not only English that covers any crane
made these new models stand on a three axle Faun carrier. The fast, but fully automated - no assist used on construction work.
out is that they were designed as business was then sold to Max cranes or helpers. Cranes & Access and Vertikal.net
a highly optimised, roadable unit, Holding in 2017 and rebranded as has always called them ‘self-
Schlaucher says: “One operator can
able to arrive on site, set up quickly, MTC mobile tower cranes. The erecting mobile tower cranes’.
bring the crane to the job site, erect
entirely on their own, and get to company still makes the AF 38, with it and operate it afterwards.” This I would suggest however that
work immediately. They needed no the latest model, the MTC AF38 2.0, ease of use, and the lower operating none of these names quite
special permits for travel and no featuring a Euro 6 diesel now on costs, comes at a price though. captures the difference between
additional components or ballast to the drawing board. Perhaps, when Schlaucher adds: “The initial price these cranes and other mobiles,
be installed, so one man operation Cranes & Access next surveys is a little bit higher as there is more while being confused with
was entirely practical. this market, we will be talking of technology inside for the automatic regular self-erecting tower
While these cranes may indeed three competitors? Or maybe one setup, where you need sensors and cranes designed for longer term
have been seen as a niche product, of the other major mobile crane so on.” building jobs. These cranes are
as with other crane types before manufacturers will have joined the not merely mobile, in the way
There are a few key differences
them, they are becoming more fray? that some self-erectors can be
between the two manufacturer’s
mainstream, and in an increasing Spierings Vs Liebherr towed to site or moved around
ranges. One, which we’ll look at in
number of countries an important site on rails or tracked chassis,
Both of the main ‘players’ in this more detail elsewhere in this issue,
element of many crane fleets, they are both fully roadable and
market focus on ease of set up and is their approach to electrification.
able to take on a growing variety optimised for maximum capacity
use of their cranes, in comparison Both of Liebherr’s cranes, and
of routine work with improved at long reach and height. They
to telescopics with similar long Spierings’ two latest models - the
efficiency. The challenge now is not are in every sense an All Terrain,
reach capacities. Spierings says: four axle SK597-AT4 eLift and
finding jobs they can do but selling albeit with a different lifting
“We have always had the concept six-axle SK1265-AT6 eLift - can
and explaining their benefits to end mechanism to the telescopic All
that one operator should be able to operate using plug in mains electric
users and establishing pricing that Terrain cranes.
do the job and no additional ballast power. Spierings, however, also
is based on the job, or capacities should be required. On our six axle offers a compact three axle crane, Associating them with regular
at height and reach, rather than the crane, you can lift 1.7 tonnes at a the SK487-AT3 eDrive or ‘City Boy’, self-erecting towers avoids the
nominal capacity rating used by radius of 60 metres. With any other which can travel up to 20 miles on key benefit, in that once they
their telescopic rivals. This move mobile crane, you would need two battery power alone, allowing it to arrive on site they can be ready
away from a focus on nominal or three trucks for ballast to achieve access city centres with restrictive to make their first lift in as little
capacity also applies to aluminium this sort of capacity.” emission or noise regulations. as 10 minutes without a great
boomed truck cranes where deal of physical effort required
capacities at height and reach can Liebherr MK140 by the operator. They can get
match substantially larger, heavier straight to work and then be
cranes, or spider cranes which can ready to leave again just as
often get much closer to the lift, and quickly. They are very much
therefore do not need to be so big. versatile taxi cranes, capable of
Two principle players working on two or three jobs in a
city on the same day.
As discussed in the box story,
I think it best to think of these So, I propose calling and thinking
cranes as ‘Tower-type All Terrains’. of them, as ‘Tower-type All
Whatever you call them, there Terrains’. This both captures the
are only two major manufacturers nature of the carrier, and that
building these cranes for developed of the crane. It differentiates
crane markets: Netherlands based them clearly from telescopic All
Spierings, and Germany’s Liebherr. Terrains, or lattice truck cranes,
I spoke to both companies for this without risking confusion with
piece, talking with Spierings chief normal tower cranes.
executive Koos Spierings (Leo’s Will North
nephew) and his sales engineer
26 cranes & access February/March 2021
mobile self-erecting cranes c&a
Liebherr electric controls
Spierings has fixed cab heights
Hydraulic or electric controls luffing jib tower cranes. Doing this
The two manufacturers approach will take some steps and checks
also differs mechanically. The but will take an operator only 10
Spierings cranes are mostly minutes. The ability to make this
hydraulic, while majority of change in so short a time is even
functions on the Liebherr models more impressive, when compared
are electric, the exception being to the time and cost it would take
a couple of hydraulic actuations otherwise to bring in a telescopic
required during set up. As with crane able to lift the same load to
other cranes and aerial lifts, the the same radius and lift heights.
choice here largely comes down to Owners will, of course, need
operator familiarity and preference, to assess whether this will
and is probably not a factor most significantly add to their ability
buyers consider, although Koos to take on jobs in their area, or
Spierings says that many operators whether they are better served by
of his company’s cranes value the having a fleet mix of telescopic
way the hydraulic controls ‘listen’ to cranes with luffing jib options, and
them. But equally, other operators straightforward up and out Spierings
are quite happy working with models, or Liebherr’s other MK.
electric controls and value the range Price, finance, and relationships will
of functionality they offer. of course also play a significant role The Liebherr cabs
Another big difference between the in the selection. can stop at any height
two ranges is the cab, which on all
Reach and vision
of these cranes can travel up the
The birthplace of the modern Liebherr can luff its jibs
tower mast to provide a better view to 70 degrees reeved
of the load, especially important 'Tower-type All Terrain' was the over jib tip
when lifting a chilling unit into the Netherlands. Even before Leo
centre of the roof of a multi storey Spierings’ innovations, similar
building from a narrow street. On cranes with a tower on a roadable
the Spierings models, the elevated carrier were well established, often
cab height has to be selected from a used for short term concrete pours
choice of fixed positions. Changing etc... which remains a core market
cab height requires reconfiguring for the product.
the crane which takes time. On the Bob Bruijsten is director of Kuiphuis
Liebherrs the cab can be located at Kraanverhuur, a company that can
any height, with the operator even trace its history back more than 100
changing it while working. years. It bought its first Spierings
While most mobile self-erectors can crane in 1994. He says: “We first
only work at fixed luffing positions bought a three axle crane, then a
of up to 45 degrees, Liebherr’s four axle, and another three axle,
MK 140 can also be set up for and then we took the first five axle
stepless luffing up to an angle of 70 unit in Eastern Holland. We have
degrees. To achieve this, the crane owned the whole range. Of all the
must be re-configured from trolley newly bought cranes from Spierings,
hoisting, standard for cranes of this we have only ever sold five of them.
type, to jib tip hoisting, as used on All the others are still being used.”
28 cranes & access February/March 2021
mobile self-erecting cranes c&a Kuiphuis finds good work for its
Spierings cranes in restricted
spaces
he cites a contrasting type of job important to have a hook available
that is becoming popular: lifting across the site, than to be able to lift
down below ground level, on a great deal of weight.”
jobs such as the widening of the The fact that the raised cab
Cranes are used A9/A10 motorways, or working gives operators a clear view of
intermittently at key stages in on waterway locks, customers the load is a definite advantage.
housebuildings... appreciate that the crane’s raised Koos Spierings points out that
cabs allow operators to see down his company’s cranes have LED
and commercial construction to the load. lights running along the jib, which
On the lock jobs, Kuiphuis recently provide a daylight view below for
used two of its crawler mounted night time operations. The basic
Spierings. These feature the same geometry of the cranes, compared
tower type superstructure but on a to their telescopic rivals, makes
compact tracked chassis or carrier. this possible: a line of lights at a
They have the added benefit of fixed height on a horizontal jib has
being able to travel with the tower obvious utility, a line of lights on a
erected. The Spierings were not luffing telescopic jib, less so.
used for the 70 tonne lock gate itself In fact, one of his cranes provided
– obviously – but for placing iron the lighting for the Vertikal
around the site. “On these projects,” Days 10th anniversary evening
says Bruijsten, “It was more networking party.
Bruijsten, and Koos Spierings, both in Holland is prefab concrete, and
estimate that mobile tower cranes rarely over three or four tonnes.
make up around a third of the We have some customers - small
country’s roadgoing mobile crane construction companies - that build
rental fleet - around 500 units out just a few houses a year. We'll
of a total of approximately 1,500 come in, place the flooring panels, LED lights along the
cranes in all. and be gone in a few hours, and bottom of the jib light
up the workspace -
Bruijsten explains that much of the then go back again later when they or party - below
country’s construction sector is are ready to do the next phase
now built around the use of these of the building. While on steel
cranes. “We have the landscape construction, the crane can be
for mobile towers. In Amsterdam employed for several weeks at a
or Rotterdam, there may be more time.”
telescopic mobile cranes because of Bruijsten says that lifting into the
the very high buildings. Outside of centre of large roofs is no longer
big cities, or big industrial sites, you a core job for its mobile towers,
still see mobile towers everywhere. as the range of applications they
In general construction, everything are used for has widened. But
30 cranes & access February/March 2021
A Liebherr MK88
owned by BKL lifts
components onto
the new roof of the
Lower Saxony State
Museum in Hanover
Reaching out of space at street level – so no
While lifting single loads onto contest, and yet this method is still
rooftops may have been eclipsed relatively common. It is almost akin
by a host of new applications, their to transport companies using a
ability to handle relatively modest horse and cart to transport freight in
loads over extended distances, the 1930s.
without interference from the Wolfgang Schlaucher at Liebherr
building’s edge, makes them a says: “We are seeing big demand
compelling alternative to telescopics in Scandinavia at the moment,
of much higher nominal capacity on driven by the high cost of labour
many city centre jobs. For example, and the possibility to run the crane
placing a 3.5 tonne HVAC unit onto on electrics. As soon as labour
the roof of a 35 metre building say becomes expensive, the quick setup
30 metres in, from the street below time and ability for one man to set
is a breeze for a six axle Spierings. up and operate the crane on his own
And if the unit is ready when the the more the concept appeals.”
crane arrives, the entire job can be ”We also see demand in France, and
completed in a couple of hours, with Spain is now coming along too. In
the AC unit placed exactly where it Austria and Switzerland, there has
is required, and the operator having always been a market. Of course,
a perfect view of the load placement they are not the biggest countries.
without leaving his crane. But for the size of the country, there
The alternative is to bring in a big is now a good population of these
All Terrain, close the road, truck cranes.”
in counterweight and jib, set up, Beyond Europe, Schlaucher says
do the short lift and then strip it all Liebherr is seeing increasing
out. The whole process can take an demand from further flung
entire weekend and involve huge international markets, for example
amounts of transport and labour, South Korea. “At first some
not to mention require a good deal contractors imported mobile
February/March 2021 cranes & access 31
Commercial
construction is a
c&a mobile self-erecting cranes
big application
for NMT crane does 120 lifts a day. They are planned around the use of mobile
really fast pieces of equipment.” tower type cranes, in Germany, their
“It’s not just that the cranes are fast use has to be pitched to customers
to set up, and to perform each lift. further along in the process, but it
It’s that you can cover the entire is an argument that is increasingly
structure from a single point," adds succeeding.
Ambridge. “You have 50 to 60 metres BKL supplied an MK88 to lift
of reach on the six axle cranes. components for a new roof on
So, on a 100 metre building, you the Lower Saxony State Museum
only have to re position the crane in Hanover. The crane needed
once or twice.” to be positioned in an area with
On these jobs, reach is far more limited space, and to reach over
important than capacity, says an interfering edge. Working close
construction cranes more or less customer of our customer.” Ambridge: “We are using a big roof to the building highlighted another
to use them for their own work, In the UK and the Netherlands, these sheeting beam now with which we advantage over telescopics: the
but then they saw the possibilities large commercial buildings are an can handle 15 to 20 metre long crane could plug in to site power,
for this crane type in a taxi crane important part of selling the concept. panels. So, the beam is heavier than working without emissions and
concept, coming from one job site In the UK, Tim Ambridge is one of the load a lot of the time. The total limiting noise.
to another.” three brothers, along with Nick and load is no more than one to two On some jobs, Hegestweiler sees
“we have to convince the Mark, whose initials are referenced tonnes.” advantages to the high height
customer of our customer” in the name of family business, NMT Germany is another market where under hook made possible by the
Crane Hire. The company started mobile tower cranes are beginning to MK cranes’ luffing jibs. But more
Before becoming chief executive of
out in vehicle recovery in the 1970s, carve out a significant market share. routinely, it is reach that matters.
the family company, Koos Spierings
but after a couple of scary, and Jörg Hegestweiler is chief executive “On 30 or 35 metre high buildings,
was responsible for sales in the
life threatening, incidents on the officer of BKL, or BauKran Logistik. we can go very far into the job site,
UK, and witnessed the concept
motorway, the brothers decided to The company’s roots were in regular they are used for everything, even
really take off, almost from a
move into crane hire. tower crane rental, but it added scaffolding. As well as staircases,
standing start, especially erecting
As a well established business, they mobile cranes initially for tower crane in complete pieces or sections. You
large commercial buildings placing
moved into tower type mobile cranes erection and dismantle, and then still have the maximum lift of eight
large sheets of metal cladding. “If
in the early 2000s, initially with a six as part of its rental fleet. Today, the tonnes, which is not so small, but
you look at the huge warehouses
axle Spierings in late 2005, then a company runs around 100 wheeled also not so heavy in comparison to
that have been built in the UK over
seven axle and two more six axles. mobile cranes, including Liebherr MK telescopic mobiles.”
recent years, you can see there has
been a big move to mobile tower The company’s focus has been on mobile self-erectors. Hegestweiler Routinely in Germany, as in other
cranes. All the roofing and sheeting the larger models, with longer reach. notes that this is a high proportion markets, these cranes are being
is done with our cranes, because That brings in a lot of city centre for the country, estimating that used to reach into the centre or
once a customer has seen how crane jobs, but also longer hires on overall these cranes only make up far edge of large warehouses
quickly it goes, he realises that it's a those warehouse projects. around three or four percent of the or factories, such as the Tesla
huge benefit compared to telescopic Ambridge says: “We are doing a national fleet. ‘Gigafactory’ currently being built
mobile cranes. It took 30 years in lot more contract lifts now. We've As in the UK, the reach, especially near Berlin, or across smaller scale
Holland to show the concept to got a particular customer we work at height, is key to winning new housing projects. But Hegestweiler
all the end users. It's a process with, who builds big, million square jobs and convincing end users that has seen another application taking
where we have to convince not foot, buildings all over the country. this is a better solution. While in the off in the country, carrying out lifts
only our own customer, but also the Generally, on those projects, the Netherlands, he notes, jobs will be in the petrochemical sector.
He points out that such sites will
Congested petrochemical occasionally have no alternative but
plants need to work fast
to shut down in order to perform
during short shutdowns - a
Liebherr MK 140 from ADW maintenance work, lifting in pipe
at the Stade Dow chemical racks and similar modules. On these
plant during a recent shut down projects, where every
shutdown second of lost production carries a
substantial cost, being able to
quickly deploy a crane and lift a
load into place over obstacles and
crowded space where other works
is going on is vital.
“These jobs are pushing demand,
not just in Germany, but around
the world, you have a very limited
time, maybe a couple of days for the
shutdown, where you need to go in,
do the lifts and get out. And the
loads are usually extremely small,
often relatively small parts, but you
have to take them far into the site,”
says Hegestweiler.
February/March 2021 cranes & access 33
mobile self-erecting cranes c&a
standard cab and remote controls. one of the company’s cranes, as
This optional extra control for have others such as Brad Pitt and
the transportation of passengers Angelina Jolie.
duplicates all elements, including When rigging an outside stage,
PLC and frequency converters, whether for a film set or a live
meaning that if anything goes wrong performance, speed is vital.
with the in cab or remote controls, Ambridge says that with its reach
the operator is still able to operate and pace of lifting, a tower type
the crane. Adding this extra layer crane can rig a stage in under a
of redundancy, ensuring the safe week, often in two or three days,
A Liebherr MK140 from BKL is
shown lifting musician Alain
recovery of lifted personnel in the compared to two weeks for a
Roche for his performance event of a failure elsewhere, can telescopic mobile.
Vertical Piano. speed up the approval process for
The up and out geometry of a tower
personnel lifts in Germany; it would
type crane has another advantage
likely be looked on favourably in other
over telescopics on these roles, it
regulatory regimes as well.
is much easier to set up without
NMT’s stage career is much more casting a shadow.
well established. While there is
Pitching the job
no Oscar for stage rigging, if there
were, the company would likely be One potential drawback of these
a regular nominee. As many baristas cranes is that they do not fit within
and delivery drivers in Hollywood the mindset of much of the crane
or London will tell you, getting that rental industry, which regards them
first role can be an insurmountable as niche or specialist machines, and
challenge. For Tim Ambridge, one most customers will not know to
introduction, and a reputation built up ask for them. So the response to a
over time, has led to a regular flow of manufacturer’s salesman is that old
work for his fleet. chestnut - “we never get asked for
them”. For some crane owners, and
NMT Film and TV Crane Hire has
more importantly, most customers,
deployed a wide range of equipment,
crane hire is all about selecting the
on films such as Gravity, the Fast
cheapest crane of the right nominal
and Furious franchise, World War
capacity for the best possible price.
Z, and Mission Impossible. Beyond
the film industry, they have been On the nominal capacity front an
used in live performances, such as eight tonne mobile tower crane can
those in London’s Hyde Park, and for appear impossible to compete. How
personnel lifts, such as the singer can you compare a crane that lifts
Pink, who has used the cranes to no more than 10 tonnes, with one
support her during an acrobatic that supposedly lifts 200 tonnes?
entrance to her shows. It says a lot The answer, as we have pointed
about the company’s attention to out, is that this type of crane lifts
detail that the famously meticulous its full capacity to a much greater
Tom Cruise has worked hanging from height and radius than a larger
NMT Spierings cranes
rigging a stage set
Photo courtesy of Ivana Bilz/Festival Out Of The Box 2020
Best supporting actors height of 75.5 metres to a radius of
One new role for these cranes is in 40 metres.
the entertainment sector, and one On any job like this, safety is key.
in which both BKL in Germany and The job needs to be carefully
NMT in the UK have already had a planned, eliminating risks. In
starring role. Germany, and most other well
In Munich, BKL supplied a Liebherr regulated markets, the crane itself
MK140 for musician Alain Roche’s must be set up to a much higher
performance ‘Vertical Piano’, which safety factor than for normal lifts.
saw him and his piano carried And multiple layers of redundancy
over two 33 metre and 54 metre must also be in place.
buildings, before being swung in For Hegestweiler, this was another
front of the audience. For this job, compelling reason to use the
the crane was configured with nine MK140. The crane, he explains,
tonnes of additional ballast; with is especially equipped with a
the crane’s luffing jib positioned at completely redundant additional
45 degrees and working at a hook control system, alongside the
34 cranes & access February/March 2021c&a mobile self-erecting cranes
telescopic. A 200 tonne load, for
example, is a totally impractical Breaking news
and impossible lift for a 200 As we go to print, we hear
tonner at any radius. While the news that Liebherr will unveil
mobile tower’s time and cost a new three axle MK 73-3.1
savings of setting up without mobile model incorporating
the need for additional support all of its latest technology and
vehicles, or the space to lay more. Check Vertikal.net and
down and set up jibs etc... is the next Cranes & Access for
massive. the full details.
In countries or market sectors
where these cranes are still an
emerging alternative, it takes a
great deal of explaining to the
customer that the job will be
completed faster and cheaper,
than with a telescopic crane of
the nominal capacity they are
used to asking for. But Ambridge
is clear that making this pitch is
worth it.
“They’re a good earner.
If it were possible, I
would get rid of all of our
telescopic mobiles, and
just run a fleet of mobile
towers as they are a one
man operation.”
February/March 2021 cranes & access 35You can also read
