Silent power: Kunze works its electric Liebherr
22 June 2020
Working in a city will increasingly require cranes to operate more quietly. Using electricity to power the crane is one way to do this. Where a crane can be powered from rechargeable batteries or connected to the mains, it will run relatively silently. In addition to being quieter than running a diesel engine, there is no air pollution at the point of use.
German crane rental company Krandienst Kunze recently proved the point on a shopping centre roof project in Dresden. It used a Liebherr MK 88 Plus mobile folding tower crane with electric drive to replace glass roof panels. The Radeberg-based company went to work in Dresden’s old town district near the Frauenkirche church. Challenges included narrow streets, awkward lifts out of the atrium over a 30 metre-high row of buildings and high-occupancy residential buildings surrounding the site.
While the crane was driven to site and set up on outriggers using its diesel engine, when it was level, the engine was stopped and the crane switched over to electrical power. Christian Jahn, crane operator, said, “I’ll do everything else using site power, including the MK’s assembly.”
Quiet operation meant the city allowed an extra hour of working both in the morning and the evening, helping to relieve pressure on the installation schedule.
The glass panels weighed up to 800 kg each and were attached to the crane using a vacuum lifting device.
A video of the project is here: https://youtu.be/nRd-E0sL5Xk
