act070513.xml

Belgium: The 102 m high Atomium, a striking landmark in Brussels, erected for the 1958 World Fair, is under renovation. Crucial to this work is a selection of cranes from Belgian crane and transport specialist, Sarens, and from fellow Belgian crane rental house Michielsens. Pictured is Sarens' 350 tonne (386 ton) maximum capacity Liebherr LR 1350/1-LN crawler working on the top sphere of the structure, the outer skin of which is being stripped off and replaced with corrosionresistant panels. The crawler was rigged with 66 m (217 feet) of main boom, 78 m (256 foot) jib, 38 tonnes (42 tons) of central ballast and 125 tonnes (138 tons) of main counterweight. Radii up to 76 m (249 feet) were needed, where the gross load was up to 4.3 tonnes (4.7 tons). For the same work on the lower spheres, Michielsens supplied Liebherr LTM 1150-5.1 and LTM 1080/1 telescopic wheeled mobiles.