All around the world, the cranes of all sizes and types have been extensively used for a wide range of industrial and construction works, from manufacturing and construction sites, to mining and material handing applications. Today, there are many crane manufacturers in the world and their machines are used for simple routine tasks that involve lifting heavy objects and for other more extreme applications. Liebherr cranes, Manitowoc cranes, Demag cranes and many other cranes from well-known manufacturers can be seen on every big or small construction site. The focus in this text will be on describing some of the most extraordinary cranes and their unique uses.
The World’s Largest Crane. For many years, the Kockums crane was considered as the world’s biggest crane. This crane was used in the Malmo shipyard in Sweden. It was manufactured in 1973 and it was around 140 meters high with a rail length of around 700 meters. The Kockmus crane was designed with a lifting capacity of 1500 tones, and it was used for the last time in 2002 for the construction of the Oresund Bridge. This enormous lifting machine was dismantled in 2002 by barge mounted cranes, and it was sold to Hyndai Industries. Today, parts of this crane are used in Ulsan, South Korea.
The Word’s Most Powerful Mobile Crane. The largest and most powerful mobile crane in the world is the Liebherr LTM 11200. From all Liebherr cranes, this model is definitely the largest ever build. It is a truck-mounted telescopic crane that has a lifting capacity of around 1300 tones. The Liebherr cranes are considered as some of the best on the market that stand for durability, high performance and excellent results. Most Liebherr cranes come with a strong telescopic boom, and this models is designed with a telescopic boom that has a vertical reach of around 170 meters. A lattice jib is attached to the end of the boom for reaching another 50-100 meters. With combined reach of the lattice jib and the telescopic boom, this crane has a maximum tip height of around 190 meters. The most common application for these Liebher cranes is the construction of the wind turbines.
A Crane With Hotel Standards. Try to imagine a hotel in a crane. That is what the Harlingen Harbour crane in Denmark has to offer. This so called “crane hotel” originally was a luffing crane, built in 1967 and used till 1996 for loading and unloading of timber fright. The cabin of crane is 20 meters above the platform, and the crane jib can reach around 45 meters. In 2001, this crane was completely transformed into a hotel. The guests in this crane hotel can enjoy in amazing view from the operator cabin which can be rotated for more spectacular and panoramic view. However, a single night in this crane hotel will cost you “just” $415.
Crane In Space. The first lunar crane was developed and designed by NASA. This lunar crane was built for the purpose of doing heavy lifting tasks on other planets. With a combination of composite materials and variable degree of rotation, this lunar crane is capable to perform difficult lifting tasks in the most challenging environments. This lunar crane may be the first lifting machine that is going to be used on Mars.
