Crane breaks Ritchie auction record

A crane broke the auction record for the most expensive equipment item sold at auctioneer Ritchie Bros' Denver, USA site.

An unused 220 US ton (200 tonne) capacity Manitowoc Model 14000 lattice boom crawler crane sold for US$ 1.275 million. More than 30 cranes were part of the 800-unit auction on 20 October. Another Model 14000 sold for $ 1.2 million and was also part of more than 40 lots sold for Energy Transportation Inc.

"End-users from all over the world participated on-site and over the internet on auction day and were particularly interested in the large selection of unused and late model cranes being sold. Bidding was very competitive with most of the cranes being purchased by out-of-state buyers who were present on-site," said Steve Merich, Ritchie Bros regional manager.

Other cranes in the sale included a 100 tonne capacity Liebherr LTM 1100-4.1 all terrain from 2007 and more than 16 Grove rough terrain cranes, the largest of which, a 130 US ton (118 tonne) capacity RT9130E, went to a buyer from Los Angeles for $670,000.