Grove GMK6450-1 beats 8-tonne axle limit to dismantle Berlin tower crane

When Berlin crane rental company Wilhelm Banzhaf Krananlagen needed its Potain MD 120 tower crane removed from a site on a busy street in the Neukölln district, it called in Mobile-Hubtechnik Kranarbeiten und Transporte, better known as MOBI-HUB. The firm selected its Grove GMK6450-1, the 450-tonne capacity machine that ranks as Grove’s strongest six-axle all-terrain crane, with a 60-metre main boom.

Getting there was half the job

The route to the jobsite crossed the tracks of Berlin’s metro system, where an 8-tonne axle-load restriction applied. To comply, MOBI-HUB removed the GMK6450-1’s main boom and moved it separately on a lightweight semi-trailer, bringing both the carrier and the boom trailer within the limit.

“It was not simply a matter of finding a high-capacity crane. We needed a machine that could handle heavy lifts at long working radii of over 70 m while operating in a highly constrained workspace. In addition, the project presented a logistical challenge, as the area is subject to an 8 t axle-load restriction.”

— Aicke Grell, crane operator, MOBI-HUB

On site, two smaller mobile cranes helped reinstall the main boom before the MOBI-HUB crew completed the rig: a 73-metre luffing jib, 115 tonnes of counterweight and an 8.7 x 8.5-metre outrigger base.

Dismantling at 72 metres

So configured, the GMK6450-1 first stripped the tower crane of its heaviest components — ballast, counter-jib structure and main jib sections, with pieces weighing up to 9 tonnes — before taking down the mast sections one by one. Lifts ran out to a 72-metre working radius at a hook height of around 59 metres, all while the surrounding street stayed in use, which made keeping to schedule critical.

A strategic six-axle

The GMK6450-1’s MEGATRAK independent suspension and all-wheel steering helped it move through the city, and MOBI-HUB draws on Manitowoc’s German support teams in Wilhelmshaven and Langenfeld for service backup.

“The GMK6450-1 is a strategic crane in our fleet because it combines transport efficiency, lifting performance and reach in a way that allows us to carry out a wide range of complex projects, and when necessary, we can also meet stringent roading requirements.”

— Georg Hallau, owner, MOBI-HUB