33
FEBRUARY 2014
ACT
ALL TERRAIN CRANES
PRODUCT FOCUS
first unit arrived in the United States in
December 2013 and was put to work in
January 2014. The new AT joins Liebherr’s
five-axle, 265-ton LTM1220-5.2 in the U.S.
market.
“In general, the five-axle class starting
between 120 tons and 265 tons are the
most sought after cranes since they are
usually easy to move around and therefore
can be used as efficient taxi cranes,” said
Diesch.
Even so, the high acquisition costs and
complex engineering of ATs make them
a difficult addition to the average crane
Jeff Hampton
reports on
the AT market in North
America and how these
sophisticated cranes are
coming on strong.
B
oasting highway mobility, quick
set-up and maneuverability at
the most difficult job sites, all
terrain cranes have found their place in
the North American market. Now, the top
five manufacturers of ATs are preparing
to maneuver even deeper into the market
as they showcase their newest models at
ConExpo 2014, March 4-8 in Las Vegas.
At stake is a share of a continental
crane market that has been dominated
historically by truck, rough terrain and
lattice boom cranes but has seen the ATs
come on strong in recent years, according
to Liebherr Crane President Georg Diesch.
“Until 2002 the truck cranes (TTs)
usually dominated the crane market with
up to twice as many units compared to
ATs. This changed in 2003 for the first
time when TTs and ATs matched in
units,” Diesch said. “Only during the peak
years between 2006 to 2008 did the truck
crane exceed the ATs, but this was mostly
due to the fact that the production of all
terrain cranes could not keep up with the
customer demand. Ever since, it’s neck and
neck with the ATs outpacing the TTs over
the last two years.”
Nine-axle beast
Liebherr will show its new LTM 1750-9.1
– a nine-axle, 900-ton capacity AT crane –
at ConExpo. The crane was first unveiled
at Bauma in April 2013 in Munich. The
Steady
market
for ATs
Link-Belt’s new 210-ton ATC-3210 can
be seen for the first time at ConExpo in
Las Vegas. Featuring a comprehensive
night lighting package, the crane will
satisfy the toughest North American
transport regulations, Link-Belt said.
BIO
Jeff Hampton
is a Dallas-based
writer who has
covered the
construction
industry for
magazines and
newspapers for many years. He is the
author of several books, including the
SC&RA’s two coffee table books,
Lifting
and Moving the World and Monumental
.
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