“From the factory to the work site – putting a crane to work can’t get any faster than that,” enthuses Frank Strempel, who is responsible for the large cranes operated by Berlin-based crane service provider Mobi-Hub. His comment refers to the company’s new Terex CC 2800-1crawler crane, which was taken directly from the manufacturer’s facilities in Zweibrücken to a work site near Koblenz, Germany in order to erect an ENERCON wind turbine.

While the crane was on its way from Zweibrücken to the Rhineland, 31 heavy haulage vehicles were also travelling from Berlin to the work site, carrying all the components that would be required for the project. A series of challenges awaited the team at the site: The space available there was extremely limited because the wind turbine was being erected right in the middle of a forest and the path that had been cleared for the vehicles was relatively narrow. In addition the crane’s boom, which had a total length of 150 metres, had to be assembled on sloping terrain. This also proved to be challenging for the assist crane required for the assembly operation, as it could not be placed just anywhere on the steep terrain. “On top of that, we had to use the suspended superlifttray with a weight of 325 tonnes when erecting the boom,” says Frank Strempel when describing an additional challenge that the team faced at the tight work site. Despite all this, the team was able to set up the crane with six assembly technicians and have it ready to go in only two days. The crane’s ease of assembly made it possible to quickly set up the machine despite the series of adverse circumstances. Moreover, the Mobi-Hub team was assisted by Terex service technicians while setting up the crane, as it was the first time the company was using the crane model.

Successful debut
“It was a sheer stroke of luck that we were able to pick up the CC 2800-1 crane in Zweibrücken right when we needed it, as it definitely proved to be the perfect machine for the job,” says Frank Strempel. This was not only because the Terex crane had the required lifting capacity, but also because it is able to move while under load. In addition, its extraordinary manoeuvrability and precise controls also proved to be tremendously useful.

The CC 2800-1 crawler crane was set up with a 138-metre S7 boom, a 12- metre fixed jib offset by 10 degree, and 180 tonnes of counterweight, ensuring that it would be optimally configured for the task at hand. This configuration enabled it to safely handle the three main lifts required to erect the wind turbine, which had a hub height of 130 metres, while working with working radii of 20 to 22 metres. The team estimated a total of three days for the work: On the first day, The CC 2800-1 crawler crane lifted the 48-tonne nacelle and the generator, which was the heaviest wind turbine component at a weight of 71 tonnes. On the second day, the rotor, weighing about 68 tonnes, was assembled on the ground so that it could be lifted on time on the third. This required the crane to move towards the wind turbine, with the load already rigged, on an extra gravel path that had already been laid earlier. “The CC 2800-1 did an extraordinary job all throughout and proved that we could not have made a better decision. Not only because of the crane itself, but also because our experience with Terex has shown that we can always count on them for fast and reliable service,” Frank Strempel summarises.