Helicopter flies Liebherr crane into city’s old town district

Liebherr dealer Kranimex assembles a 40 LC tower crane in Slovakia's capital with the help of an MI-8T helicopter.

 When a conventional tower crane assembly by mobile crane isn’t possible, Liebherr customers have other options available: in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, experts from Liebherr dealer Kranimex rose to the challenge by using airlifts. A helicopter transported the 40 LC top-slewing crane into the city centre. The Liebherr machine is set to assist the construction of new apartments there in the coming months.

The 40 LC is at work in the centre of Bratislava. A new build project without direct road access is underway in an up-and-coming area there. To deal with the projecting edges of neighbouring buildings, a normal assembly of the Liebherr crane via mobile crane would have needed a large machine with a minimum lifting capacity of 350 tonnes plus a jib extension. But the real problem lay in the fact that the 40 LC’s assembly would have necessitated suspension of public transport, with trams running every five minutes, as well as the costly dismantling and subsequent reinstallation of tram power lines. An assembly by helicopter, in collaboration with heavy haulage specialist Tech-Mont, proved to be the right solution for the experts from Liebherr dealer Kranimex. Tech-Mont has more than 25 years of experience in the market.

The challenging assembly took a total of two days. The MI-8T helicopter used had a maximum lifting capacity of three tonnes. This meant that the helicopter was able to transport even the heaviest crane part, a 2,750 kilogram slewing platform, without a problem. The helicopter picked up the crane components, including tower sections, jib, and counter jib, at a temporary storage location by the Danube and flew them over the city's rooftops to the construction site. Eleven flights were needed to deliver all of the crane parts. Experienced service fitters from Kranimex took delivery of the air-lifted components before assembling the top-slewing crane. “Strong and reliable teamwork was the key factor for this exceptional assembly,” says Patrik Šeba, service fitter from Liebherr dealer Kranimex. “This was our third assembly with Tech-Mont so we knew we could rely on each other.”

The Liebherr 40 LC crane is working on site with a hook height of 30 metres and a jib measuring just under 25 metres. It offers a maximum lifting capacity of 4,000 kilograms. To save as much space as possible, the crane has been mounted on foundation anchors and the narrow 63 LC tower system, which features external dimensions of just 1.2 x 1.2 metres. The top-slewing crane was built in 2006 and continues to provide reliable service, which is testament to the high quality and durability of Liebherr machines. It is expected that the crane will continue working on the residential project in the centre of Bratislava until the end of 2023. Its dimensions allow the Liebherr machine to access all parts of the site with ease and to assist with various lifting operations, including the movement of bricks and concrete. Once the crane has finished its work, it will be dismantled by helicopter and flown back over the rooftops of Bratislava.