Two New Liebherr Cranes to Boost MSG Fleet

MSG Krandienst GmbH, based in the Franco-German border region near Strasbourg, is expanding its fleet of large cranes with two modern machines from the Liebherr plant in Ehingen. An LTM 1300-6.3 was received a few days ago. This will be followed in February by an LTM 1650-8.1 with extensive equipment and the two telescopic boom variants with lengths of 54m and 80m. The company with the distinctive blue cranes believes it is well positioned to meet the requirements of the cross-border Alsace-Baden region.

Björn Jatz, Managing Director of MSG Krandienst GmbH, takes delivery of his new LTM 1300-6.3 in Ehingen. Right in the picture: Joachim Sommer (Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH)

MSG Managing Director Björn Jatz came to Ehingen in person for the handover of the 300t mobile crane. “The 90m telescopic boom, which can be carried on the road with an axle load of 12t and is a unique feature of the crane in its class, was the decisive factor for us in purchasing it,” says Jatz. “This completes our Liebherr family in the large crane sector with the LTM 1750-9.1, the LTM 1450-8.1 and soon three machines of the LTM 1650-8.1. One major advantage,” emphasises Jatz, “is that various lattice sections from these cranes can also be used on our new LTM 1300-6.3.”

The crane operator and fitters showed great skill in placing the wing star on the densely wooded hilltop with its small open space.

The 6-axle crane not only impresses with technical features such as VarioBase®Plus, VarioBallast®, auto-ballast or the wind speed load charts, which are valuable for working on wind turbines, but also with high efficiency on the equipment side. Its possibilities with lattice jibs are manifold: 11.5m to 20m double folding jib, two 7m lattice sections to extend the telescopic boom, a 39m powerful lattice type fixed jib and a 43m hydraulically adjustable lattice type fixed jib. This enables the 300t crane to reach lifting heights of up to 120m.

Adjusting the ballast to the maximum distance saves having to transport additional counterweights to the construction site.

Major infrastructure projects such as the expansion of the Rhine Valley line of the German railway and increased service work on the wind turbines on the hills of the Black Forest are ensuring full order books for the 150-strong company with its sites in Freiburg, Kehl and Strasbourg. Also because the maintenance and repowering of old wind turbines always require large crane capacities, MSG will take delivery of its third LTM 1650-8.1 at the beginning of 2025. In February, another LTM 1230-5.1 will further increase the current 55 Liebherr mobile cranes in the blue fleet.

A small lattice extension as well as a short tip and the crane’s two-hook operation for swivelling the rotor star to a horizontal position enabled the assembly work to be carried out quickly and smoothly.

MSG Krandienst recently sent one of its two LTM 1650-8.1 cranes to replace components for an Enercon E-66 wind turbine at an altitude of 1,100m in the Black Forest north of Freiburg. Within one day, the mobile crane was able to lift the entire blade star from the system in two-hook operation and reassemble it after replacing the generator. For this purpose, the 8-axle vehicle was equipped with Y-guying, a boom extension of six metres and a small auxiliary jib. The heaviest lift, with a gross load of 48t, was carried out at a radius of 25m. Thanks to the ballasting set to maximum radius, 155t of counterweights were sufficient for this operation.

Featured Title photograph

During the repair of an Enercon wind turbine in the southern Black Forest, an LTM 1650-8.1 from MSG Krandienst GmbH has a complete blade star with a gross weight of 47.7 t on the hook.