Heavy-lifting solutions multinational Sarens, of Belgium, has officially launched a new 750 t hydraulic crane, manufactured by Germany-based construction machinery manufacturer Liebherr.

As the biggest crane on the Southern African market, the LTM 1750.9-1 boasts increased capacity, enabling clients to diversify and increase their own capacity to build bigger, heavier modules.

Compared with equivalent crawler cranes, Sarens SA’s latest fleet addition also reduces rental costs because build times are reduced, which means that the machine is on site for shorter periods of time.

“Another unique aspect about this machine is that it’s completely self-sufficient, with the ability to assemble itself on site into a basic machine,” says Sarens SA operations director Lyle Tapinos.

When the machine has to be transported, it is stripped down to a base crane to ensure that, logistically, the axle loadings are adequate for road transport.

Tapinos explains that, traditionally, an additional crane would need to accompany a deconstructed crane to a site to help assemble it. This, however, is not necessary with Liebherr’s latest model.

As a result, Sarens can transport the entire machine with 22 trucks, as opposed to 40 trucks required for machines with an equivalent capacity.

“When you send a machine to site you charge per truck, so this is another enormous cost saving. You’re essen- tially halving the cost of logistics,” says Tapinos.

The LTM 1750.9-1 has a 156 m hook height, with a reduced counterweight of 200 t, which is minimal for a machine of that size, he adds.

“It’s also fully remote-controlled, which is useful in difficult lifting scenarios, making life easier for the operator and improving on safety,” Tapinos says.

The crane was launched in the European market in the third quarter of 2012 and is drawing positive response from the local market.

It’s already been booked out for work on oil and petroleum major Sasol’s Impumelelo underground coal project, near Secunda, and was booked to assist local cement producer AfriSam with a train accident and steel producer Evraz Highveld Steel with its Air Liquide installation.

Tapinos adds that the LTM 1750.9-1 will benefit the local wind farm market, as it has the same capacity as medium-sized crawler cranes, but its better manoeuvra- bility on wind farms makes it suitable for installing turbines.

He tells Engineering News that it was a risk for Sarens to introduce this crane onto the local market, as it is the country’s first machine of this capacity and only the fifth crane to come from Liebherr’s production line in Germany.

“Still, it shows our confidence in the South African and Southern African markets. It also proves to the market and to our clients that we are committed to their market growth.”

Tapinos adds that it was also necessary for Sarens to stay abreast of the latest technology and keep up with the demand for increased capacity.

It has been two years since Sarens SA last increased its crane fleet capacity, with the introduction of the Demag AC650 – a 650 t hydraulic crane, which has since been in high demand on the local market and is booked out for the next 12 months.

“Therefore, bringing in the LTM 1750.9-1 means providing companies with more lifting capacity, enabling clients to make their loads heavier and erect modules in more difficult areas,” he concludes.