Kansas-based company safely completes lift
Based in Pratt, Kansas, Trand took delivery of the first LG 1750 in the United States in March 2019. The LG 1750 is an 850-ton, eight-axle, lattice boom mobile crane with the mobility of a drivable carrier and the lifting capacity of a crawler crane. It has a 633-foot maximum hoist height, six winches, and variable boom systems. Among other items, the crane handled a gearbox assembly and its heaviest lift was 162,000 pounds.
THE PROJECT
Under the leadership of Trand president Terry D. Arnett, vice president of operations Andrea D. Arnett, crane operator Ken Cornelson, Jr., and rigger and oiler Patrick Petersen, all of the LG 1750’s standard features, combined with some additional equipment, helped the project get done safely, efficiently, and on schedule.
“One challenge we faced during the planning of this job was that the allowable ground bearing pressure was very low,” says Andrea Arnett. “At the time of the crane purchase, we also purchased eight steel mats to help spread the pressure over a larger area and minimize the pressure per square foot to the ground.”
The strength of the LG 1750 on this project was its lifting capacity and luffing abilities. Trand also purchased a 344-foot luffing jib with the crane. “The luffer was essential for this job,” Arnett says. “We originally did not plan to use it, but the blades on this rotor had a 40-foot pre-bend and would likely have hit the boom using the original configuration.” The crane was sitting at a 110-foot radius and was able to easily remove and replace the rotor.
THE TRAND FLEET
Including the LG 1750, Trand owns four Liebherr cranes: two LTM 1750-9.1 mobile cranes and an LTM 1300-6.2. “We feel the LG 1750 is a great addition to our fleet to service the larger turbines that the current fleet cannot handle. We also plan to use it for plant work,” says Arnett.
Trand’s overall fleet consists of 11 mobile cranes. This positions the company to serve the wind power industry, which is continually moving toward larger towers and heavier components. Founded in 1990, Trand specializes in wind industry, refinery and gas plant projects, and employs 22 people.
“The courtesy that Liebherr has shown us and our employees is above and beyond,” Arnett says. “With this being a new crane in the United States, there were many obstacles we had to overcome to make it work for our company, and Liebherr went the extra mile to make those adjustments.”
CLOSING THOUGHT
The Liebherr LG 1750 is stabilized on an outrigger system which makes it safer than other cranes of similar size and capacity. Companies, like Trand, can appreciate the benefits of fast mobilization and easy assembly and disassembly.
For more information:
For more about Trand and its crane services, visit www.trandinc.com. For more about Liebherr equipment, visit www.liebherr.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, February 2020
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