Liebherr fast erecting crane on the island of Mainau
The island of Mainau in Southern Germany is known as Lake Constance's “flowering isle” and shares its stunning vegetation with visitors from all around the world. Amongst its many attractions, the island is home to Germany’s second largest butterfly house and its world famous rose garden. It is here that a 20 m long section of a historic wall suffered damage through ill-fated building work.
In order for the restoration to begin, all damaged pieces of wall have to be lifted separately and removed. The stone masonry and sculpture company Eduard Schnell decided on a Liebherr L1-24 fast erecting crane to carry out this work. It is being provided by the Liebherr rental fleet based in the Upper Swabia Lake Constance area. So, in addition to its technical specifications and reliability, the crane’s multi-award-winning design was also one of the criteria for choosing the L1-24.
A different kind of building site
In the run up to the crane’s assembly, all those involved were made aware that conditions would be different from those on an average construction site. Before assembly began, the ground under where the crane was to be installed was assessed by the BfB-Büro für Baukonstruktionen in Karlsruhe, as the crane was to be positioned directly on top of the backfill of a historic rampart wall and useful information regarding the walls and their backfill wasn’t available.
Access arrangements were also clarified in detail. The site can only be reached via a bridge, the weight limit of which is insufficient for a tractor vehicle towing ballast and the crane. On the day of assembly, the fast erecting crane was transported over the bridge using one of Mainau’s own tractors, towed past the castle and then assembled by service technicians at the Liebherr site in Stockach. As the condition of the substrate couldn’t be specified with absolute certainty, the best possible precautionary measures were taken. Large format steel plates were placed under the supports to keep the corner pressure points as minimal as possible. The crane was also positioned as far as possible from the collapsed section of wall.
Safety first
As the island of Mainau is now open to the public again, additional safety measures were put in place regarding visitors. Liebherr’s sales and rental partner had an ABB operating range limiting system installed in the crane specifically for this purpose. Thanks to the fast erecting crane’s state of the art control system, this was programmed on site in no time at all. The ABB system prevents the crane from overshooting defined areas with its load. This means that the stone masonry company’s employees can go about their work knowing the safety of the island’s visitors is ensured.
It will be several months before the historic wall is restored to its former glory. Until then, the island of Mainau has an extra attraction – a L1-24 fast erecting crane.
About the Liebherr Tower Cranes Division
More than seven decades of experience have made Liebherr a recognised specialist for lifting technology on all types of construction sites. The range of Liebherr Tower Cranes encompasses an extensive selection of high-quality tower cranes that are used worldwide. This includes fast erecting, top slewing, luffing jib and special-purpose cranes as well as mobile construction cranes. In addition to these products, Liebherr also offers a wide range of services that complete the company’s portfolio: Tower Crane Solutions, Tower Crane Customer Service and the Tower Crane Center.
About the Liebherr group
The Liebherr group is a family run technology company with a highly diversified product portfolio. The company is not only one of the largest construction equipment manufacturers in the world, but also provides high quality and user oriented products and services in a wide range of other areas. Today, the Group consists of more than 140 companies across all continents, employs around 48,000 people and, in 2020, achieved a total turnover of over 10.3 billion euro. Liebherr has pursued its goal of satisfying customers with industry-leading solutions and shaping technological progress since its founding in 1949, in Kirchdorf an der Iller in Southern Germany.