Gertzen fits X3 boom system to Liebherr crane

Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 crane with X3 system visible at the lower boom (Photo: Liebherr)

Gertzen Kranlogistik has retrofitted its 800 tonne capacity Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 lattice boom crawler crane with the X3 boom system.

The change was made to support expansion of services within the wind energy sector, as the X3 system will allow construction of wind turbines up to a height of 175 metres.

The X3 system is based on three lattice sections, each 12 metres long and six metres wide. Located on the lower section of the main boom the increased width increases lateral stiffness to deliver longer boom lengths and increased lift heights.

Wider boom sections comprise two halves which can be bolted together and detached relatively quickly. For transport the halves are slightly offset lengthways so they interlock. This results in a transport width of 3.5 metres.

First deployment of the updated LR 1800-1.0 was at the Heiden wind farm, where Gertzen erected Enercon E-160 EPS wind turbines with a tower height of 166 metres. These turbines has previously required the Liebherr LR 11000 crawler crane.

To install the generator, the LR 1800-1.0 was configured with a 166 metre main boom and a 12 metre fixed jib; this was extended to 24 metres for fitting the rotor blades.

The heaviest portion of the lift was the generator, which weighed in at 131 tonnes.

“With the new update, the crane has become really powerful and our service portfolio has been greatly expanded,” said Wolfgang Gertzen. “We can now erect wind turbines for our customers that would not have been possible without the X3 kit.”