Where are all terrain cranes on the rise?

A hybrid combining the roadability of a truck mounted crane and the on-site manoeuvrability of a rough terrain crane, all terrains can both travel at speed on public roads and navigate rough terrain at the job site using all-wheel steering. AT cranes can have 2 to 12 axles and are designed for lifting loads up to 2,000 tonnes.

ATs on the rise

According to specialist market research company, Off-Highway Research, demand for all terrain cranes around the world has never been higher. Traditional markets are strong thanks to supply (finally) bouncing back from the difficulties of the pandemic years, while there are surprisingly strong sales in some non-traditional markets.

In the boom years of 2022 and 2023, global sales of all terrain cranes were around the 4,000 unit mark, compared to the sales of 2,200 – 2,800 machines per year which prevailed throughout the 2010s.

Initially the driver for this was a surge in demand in China in 2020 and 2021 thanks to stimulus spending. The 100 to 250 tonne classes are particularly popular in China, and in those boom years there was also very strong demand for heavy lift cranes for infrastructure construction. China is served almost entirely by indigenous OEMs.

More recently there has been a sharp rise in sales of AT cranes to Southeast Asia, where again Chinese OEMs exert a strong influence. This is partly due to an aggressive approach from them in light of the now tumbling domestic market. It also reflects the strength of the region’s commodity-producing countries, which are reaping the rewards of several consecutive years of high global commodity prices.

The same applies to some extent to the Middle East and Latin America but, in these regions, the traditional big seller is the rough terrain crane, with truck cranes (again form China) proving much more popular in the last year or two.

The traditional anchor market for all terrain cranes is Europe. After a difficult period in the pandemic years when supply was badly disrupted, sales last year returned to something approaching normal levels but not the highs seen in the late 2010s.

Meanwhile North America shares some characteristics with Latin America and the Middle East in that rough terrain cranes are the high volume product. All terrain crane sales start above 100 tonnes, where rough terrain crane ranges start to fade out. There is very little market for lower capacity all terrain cranes in the region in the way there is in Europe.

Globally, the main reason that all terrain crane sales are booming is that the Chinese OEMs (namely Sany, XCMG and Zoomlion) have joined the party in the last five years. They now have a combined capacity to produce 1,500 all terrain cranes (if not more) per year, which simply did not exist as recently as the late 2010s. However, the main end markets for these machines is China and other nearby emerging economies. In developed markets it is still the established household names in the industry which prevail.

World first

Manufacturer Liebherr has a lion’s share of the all terrain market in several territories. The manufacturer is making strong moves in the USA, where its cranes are continually being added to American fleets.

All’s new five axle 100 tonner, the Liebherr LTM 1100-5.3. (Photo: Liebherr)

A new Liebherr LTM 1100-5.3 all terrain crane is bound for the fleet of the USA-based All Family of Companies.

It’s the first five-axle crane worldwide with a width of 2.5 metres, an advantage when driving on roads and construction sites. The all terrain has 8 tonne axle loads for worldwide mobility, delivering major benefits when it comes to obtaining licences and route permits.

“The supreme roadability of the new Liebherr LTM 1100-5.3 will be a major benefit for our customers,” says Michael Liptak, president and CEO of All Family of Companies. “It is highly adaptable to the varying geographies our branches serve and will save customers time and money by not requiring additional road licences or additional truckloads to transport ballast.”

The LTM 1100-5.3 also has a capacity of 100 tonnes and a longer 61.8 metre telescopic boom for greater reach. The new AT can carry up to 17 tonnes of counterweights. At 75 per cent of the maximum ballast of 22.5 tonnes, this is a new record for mobile cranes worldwide. It allows the new LTM 1100-5.3 to perform most of its jobs as a taxi crane without additional ballast transport.

Elsewhere in the USA, Nichols Crane Rental recently took delivery of a new LTM 1230-5.1. The crane rental company provides taxi crane services for projects across Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, with almost half its fleet consisting of Liebherr machines.

Three’s a charm

Liebherr also continues to prove popular in European markets. Italian rental company Mantovani Global Services recently expanded its fleet by adding a 150 tonne capacity LTM 1150-5.3.

Mantovani’s third mobile crane is a Liebherr LTM 1150-5.3. (Photo: Liebherr)

The new model follows the recent deliveries of a LTM 1100-5.2 and an LTM 1250-5.1 and will be used for different applications such as construction and naval port industries.

Owner Sandro Mantovani says, “Despite its dimensions, the crane is compact, has great manoeuvrability, and economic efficiency. The crane has a 66 metre telescopic boom and when fully extended, it can lift more than nine tonnes. It can complete lots of jobs without requiring additional ballast transport vehicles.”

Saudi growth

As previously reported by ICST, Arabian Machinery & Heavy Equipment Co. (AMHEC) ordered 55 new Liebherr mobile cranes to meet the Kingdom’s building boom demand.

Currently there is US$ 56 billion-worth of projects in the pipeline, and projections indicate this figure will surge to more than $90 billion by 2029.

The crane order is the biggest ever received by the Saudi Liebherr Co. Wheeled mobile telescopic cranes from five up to nine axles and from 100 to 800 tonnes capacity will be delivered to the lifting and transport specialist. Largest of the cranes in the order is the LTM 1750-9.1, AMHEC’s first on nine axles.

Deliveries from the order will begin later in the year, taking the AMHEC fleet to more than 400 cranes.

Chinese competition

China’s largest crane and construction equipment manufacturer XCMG has announced a premium crane brand called G2.

A lineup outside a factory in China of all types of crane from XCMG, which has just announced the new G2 premium series of all terrains. (Photo: XCMG)

It said the move, launched in April 2024, is a series of models aiming to create greater value for end users and to pioneer innovation. XCMG said it has brought to bear its crane experience and that from 300,000 users gained in the last 61 years into the new G2 brand.

G2 series crane models are designed to offer a number of improved features, including reduced fuel consumption, increased operational efficiency, bigger cabins with better fields of view, reduction of maintenance time and improved reliability.

After its purchase of five all terrain cranes, a customer in Australia provided more than 200 suggestions for improvement, all now incorporated, the manufacturer says, contributing to the benefits of the new G2 series cranes.

Since the G2 announcement, Grúas Fraile in Spain has taken delivery of a XCMG all terrain. The four axle XCA120 E is the first unit delivered in Spain of this model which is designed for the European market. Launched in 2023, it has a 66 metre, seven section boom. A maximum tip height of 94 metres can be achieved.

Big orders

Grove all terrains, from manufacturer Manitowoc, also remain popular across Europe.

Petrolift’s Grove cranes will be set to work on wind turbines and petrochemical projects. (Photo: Manitowoc)

Polish crane rental company Robert Baran Crane Group Petrolift recently expanded its fleet with 21 new Grove AT cranes.

A mix of four, five, and six axle Grove cranes will join the company’s fleet this year.

The first cranes in the latest order have already been delivered and set to work on several projects, including installing wind turbines and working on petrochemical and chemical plants.

“We love the GMK6300L-1,” says Robert Baran, founder and CEO of Robert Baran Crane Group Petrolift. “It’s extremely reliable and powerful, and a proven best-in-class machine. Now we’re at a stage where we need to expand our offerings; it was natural to turn to Grove and we are looking forward to seeing the advantages and versatility of our new models paying off on jobsites across Europe.”

The company owns more than 40 of the 300 tonne model and was the first customer in Poland to own an extensive fleet of Grove GMK6300L-1s. The company has supplied equipment to every refinery, power plant, and wind farm built in the country. It is also highly active in the country’s major ports.

Compact power

Germany-based crane rental company Schares has taken delivery of a new 100 tonne all terrain crane from Japanese manufacturer Tadano, which has a lineup for all major crane markets around the world.

It will be used for a range of jobs, including civil engineering projects, steel construction work, and lifts for the chemical industry.

Christoph Schares, managing director, said, “Its powerful lifting capacity, combined with a 59.4 metre main boom and an axle load lower than the 12 tonne limit, makes it an extremely cost-effective taxi crane.”

The team at Schares considers the AC 4.100L 1’s compact design to be another crucial advantage. “The AC 4.100L 1 is perfect for erecting large cranes,” added Eric Reichman of Schares, when going over the ways that the crane will be used in the company’s fleet.