Team players at the Bernabéu

The 800 tonne capacity Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 lattice boom crawler crane. At times there were 18 Liebherr cranes in action at the site, said Luis Aguilar, owner of Gruas Aguilar

Teams from Spanish crane rental companies Gruas Aguilar and Eurogruas 2000 worked together on the refurbishment of the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid.

Gruas Aguilar had as many as 18 Liebherr wheeled and crawler mounted mobile cranes on the site at any one time. They were between 40 and 1,200 tonnes capacity. “Winning the order for the crane work at the Bernabéu was not only a routine job for us, but also a great challenge”, said Luis Aguilar, Gruas Aguilar owner.

“The logistics and planning required for all these cranes in all different sizes was enormous. From the compact LTC 1050-3.1 and LRT 1100-2.1 rough terrain crane to the LTM 11200-9.1, there was a full team on the pitch”, added Aquilar.

A trio of large crawler cranes was on site for the entire second half of 2020. The 600 tonne capacity LR 1600/2 and LR 1600/2-W were from Gruas Aguilar, while the 800 tonne LR 1800-1.0 was from Eurogruas 2000. Lifting and placing the roof girders was the major task for this team.

Commenting on the LR 1800-1.0 Javier Sato, co-owner of the Eurogruas 2000 Group, said, “High capacity, compact dimensions, low-cost logistics and flexible use – they were the features that resulted in us investing in the LR 1800-1.0. It was a very good decision for us and we are proud to have taken delivery of the very first machine, at the Bauma in 2019.”

Limited space at the job site right next to a main road, combined with the heavy loads and requirement to lift at long radii, made things complicated. “We were completely reliant on the flexibility of the derrick ballast,” explained Jose Garcia and Juan Ayora, Eurogruas 2000 project managers. “The V-Frame enabled us to position loads weighing between 40 and 213 tonnes with a very wide range of radii safely and precisely without having to move the crane on the site.”

Since the legendary stadium opened in 1947 it has undergone modification and extension. This latest round sees the pitch full of construction machinery before the reopening in 2022. It will have an hydraulically adjustable roof, an hybrid turf playing surface that can be lowered, and new shopping, business and leisure facilities.

The 600 tonne capacity Liebherr LR 1600/2. At times there were 18 Liebherr cranes in action at the site, said Luis Aguilar, owner of Gruas Aguilar

The latest regeneration of the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, Spain, will see it transformed with an hydraulic adjustable roof, lowering hybrid turf and facilities for shopping, business and leisure

Gruas Aguilar and Eurogruas 2000 planned the lifts for the crawler cranes beforehand using computer simulation