[Job Story] Schwientek takes delivery of new Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 mobile crane

• Great flexibility and economy are the outstanding criteria

• Compact 4-axle crane will replace a 5-axle model in the Schwientek fleet

• Uniform crane control system and efficient service are features in favour of Liebherr

Mobile crane and recovery contractor Schwientek & Sohn based in Leverkusen have taken delivery of a new Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 mobile crane. It was handed over in May this year at the Liebherr plant in Ehingen. This is the second crane of this model the company has bought within two years. The main criteria behind the purchase included the crane’s great flexibility and economy – the 4-axle crane has a 60-meter telescopic boom and can be driven on public roads with either a twelve or a ten-tonne axle load. This version delivers major benefits for road licensing and route approval procedures.

Jörg Schwientek, the owner of the 95-year-old family-run company, said that the compact dimensions of the new purchase were another important criterion:

“The new Liebherr crane is our second LTM 1090-4.2 and will replace an LTM 1095-5.1 in our fleet. Because it has one less axle, in other words four instead of five, and a narrower width of 2.55 metres rather than 2.75 metres, the crane can also be used with much greater flexibility and is also more manoeuvrable on constricted sites and in towns.”

Schwientek is mainly planning to use the new LTM 1090-4.2 for industrial jobs as a result of its very long 60-meter telescopic boom. Crane jobs in the construction industry, the assembly of prefabricated garages, or even hoisting a pool over the roof of a house are also among the wide range of jobs for the new 90-tonne crane. Schwientek adds:

“The crane will also be used for truck recovery work, as, in addition to our mobile crane hire business, we also have a towing and special recovery service for vehicles of all types,”

The LTM 1090-4.2 can carry up to 8.8 tonnes of ballast with an axle load of 12 tonnes, which is an outstanding value in the 4-axle class. It means that crane owners can complete the majority of crane jobs at low cost without having to transport additional ballast. Furthermore, the optional VarioBase generates a significant gain in lifting capacity in the working areas above the outriggers. The combination of VarioBallast and VarioBase delivers maximum flexibility for difficult sites.

The two LTM 1090-4.2 cranes, an LTM 1070-4.2 and an LTF 1045-4.1 mean that the company has four Liebherr mobile cranes in its fleet, which comprises a total of five cranes. Schwientek says:

“The uniform crane control system and flexible service management are two of the main factors behind our decision to buy from Liebherr,”