Africa’s first Liebherr LTM 1400-6.1 joins Concord Cranes fleet

The handover was signed at Bauma 2025, and the crane arrived in South Africa in February this year. Since then it has been deployed across extensive port operations, bridge work and infrastructure projects, including a bridge construction job in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Successor to the LTM 1400-7.1

“It is an incredible honour to have the opportunity to take delivery of the first LTM 1400-6.1 in Africa. The crane’s innovative design and strong performance capabilities made it the obvious successor to our existing LTM 1400-7.1. This crane has served us reliably for many years and was due for replacement.”

— Wayne McCullagh, CEO, Concord Cranes

McCullagh says the purchasing decision was driven by the crane’s technical design and enhancements such as the improved Y-guying system, VarioBallast and VarioBase, its ease of operation — and what he calls the “legendary” technical support from Liebherr-Africa.

450 tonnes with all-terrain mobility

The LTM 1400-6.1 combines up to 450 tonnes of lifting capacity with a 70-metre telescopic boom on a six-axle chassis, and achieves hook heights of up to 120 metres depending on configuration. The boom, 140 tonnes of ballast and the Y-guying system allow the crane to be set up for individual lifts and changing site conditions — capacity normally associated with much larger machines, without the mobilisation effort of a crawler or lattice boom crane.

“The LTM 1400-6.1 represents the latest generation of Liebherr large all-terrain crane technology, and having the first unit in Africa operating with a leading South African crane company demonstrates our commitment to bringing innovations to the African market.”

— Hendrik Burger, Sales Manager Mobile Cranes, Liebherr-Africa

Burger says feedback has been very positive on the combination of lifting capacity, reach and mobility, which lets a hire company move the crane between very different lifting environments — particularly valuable in port and bridge applications.

Support throughout the lifecycle

Liebherr-Africa will back the machine throughout its working life with operator and technical training, commissioning support, diagnostics and planned maintenance, plus access to local spare parts and service infrastructure. Looking ahead, Burger expects continued, specialised demand for high-capacity mobile cranes in southern Africa’s infrastructure, energy, ports and industrial sectors — not a high-volume market, but steady interest from established crane companies modernising their fleets.