Same model, 14 years on: Richi AG renews its six-axle flagship with a Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1
After 14 years of service the old 350-tonner has gone and an identical model has taken its place. Richi AG’s new LTM 1350-6.1 went straight to work setting eight-tonne concrete pillars at a 53-metre radius near Zurich.
A like-for-like replacement
Richi AG of Weiningen, Switzerland, has taken delivery of a Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1, replacing an older crane of exactly the same type after 14 years in the fleet. The 350-tonne machine is once again the company’s flagship and the largest six-axle crane it operates. Repeat purchases of the same model are not unusual in crane hire, but they are a reasonable indicator that the original choice worked out.
“Our experience with Liebherr cranes has been consistently positive. Their machines offer outstanding reliability and durability, as well as exceptional build quality. This high standard has consistently proven invaluable in our daily operations.”
— Markus Fleck, Head of Crane and Special Transport, Richi AG
Alongside the machine itself, Fleck names service coverage in Switzerland, spare parts availability and residual value as factors in the decision.
Y-guying for the tower crane work
The LTM 1350-6.1 combines high lifting capacities with a 70-metre telescopic boom. Its capacity can be raised substantially with the Y-guying system, which in many load cases roughly doubles what the crane can lift. That matters at Richi, where the crane’s primary task is erecting and dismantling tower cranes – work that tends to demand capacity at height and radius rather than raw ground-level tonnage. Beyond tower crane assembly, the machine is used on general construction, infrastructure projects and industrial jobs.
First job: warehouse pillars at 53 metres
The new crane’s first assignment was the construction of a warehouse in Embrach, Canton of Zurich, where it placed eight-tonne concrete pillars at a working radius of 53 metres. Richi also highlights two features that shape day-to-day working practice: VarioBase, the variable support base that allows the crane to work with individually extended outriggers, and ECOmode.
“The VarioBase® variable supporting base and ECOmode provide us with real added value. These features enhance safety, flexibility and the efficiency of our operations, which is especially critical for complex projects.”
— Markus Fleck, Head of Crane and Special Transport, Richi AG
Richi AG is not a pure crane business. The company began in 1924 with a single gravel pit and today employs around 150 people in waste management and supply, with a focus on recycling construction waste in the region. Its crane and transport department accounts for roughly 30 staff and runs 14 cranes in total, five of them from Liebherr.
Source: Liebherr — Photos: Liebherr