In years past, the use of super heavylift cranes around the world was a rare site. The reason being was jobs requiring lifts above 1,500 tons were few and far between. A story in the February issue of American Cranes & Transport Magazine (ACT) reviews the increased use of these massive machines today, including interviews with representatives whose companies build them.

Early examples

The first mega cranes entered the market between the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Included were Versa-Lift by Deep South Crane & Rigging and Transi-Lift by Lampson International. Today there are twenty crane models capable of lifting between 1,500 and 7,500 tons, with most landing in the 2,500 to 5,000 tons range.

Liebherr

Jim Jatho, Liebherr’s U.S.-based lattice boom crawler crane product manager says that mega cranes have been mainstays in petrochemical environments and on some of the larger-scale stadium projects. Liebherr’s most popular mega crane in the United States is the LR 11000 with 1,000-ton capacity. The LR 11350 with 1,350-ton capacity has a strong global presence with more than 50 models in permanent use, mostly in Central Europe. The LR 13000 with a 3,000-ton capacity is being used in six locations for nuclear power projects.

Lampson International

Based in Kennewick, Washington, Lampson’s Transi-Lift mega crane debuted in 1978 and continues to generate interest today. The LTL-2600 and LTL-3000 models with 2,600 and 3,000-ton lift capacities have experienced a demand for use in infrastructure projects as well as power plant, stadium, and new building construction. Each Transi-Lift model boasts a small footprint and exceptional maneuverability.

Tadano

Mega cranes were not part of Tadano’s portfolio until 2020 when their acquisition of Demag was finalized. Now the company produces two models at their factory location in Germany. The Tadano CC88.3200-1 (formerly Demag CC-8800-TWIN) has a 3,200-ton lifting capacity, and the Tadano CC88.1600.1 (formerly Demag CC-1600) has a 1,600-ton lifting capacity. Both are used at locations around the world. A recent job in Las Vegas called for a CC88.3200-1 to place a 170-ton ring atop a steel shoring tower at the future MSG Sphere. When completed in 2023, the arena will seat 17,500 spectators.