25.09.2025

700 tonner on particle accelerator

German company Riga Mainz has used a 700 tonne Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 All Terrain crane to install feed pipe bridges at the particle accelerator at the Fair Research facility in Darmstadt, South of Frankfurt.

The eight axle crane lifted the pipeline bridge modules weighing nearly 87 tonnes at a radius of 23 metres in confined spaces. The steel bridges will accommodate supply lines for the facility, positioned 20 metres high on concrete pillars.

The modules - 32 metres long, eight metres wide and five metres high - were transported 500 metres from assembly station to the installation site using SPMTs.

Riga Mainz project planner Andreas Webler said: "The installation situation here is incredibly tight. The building wall means that this crane location is only possible with the LTM 1650-8.1. We only have a ballast radius of 6.4 metres for the pick up and slewing of the load. To install the almost 87 tonne load at 23 metres, however, we had to increase it to 7.4 metres."

"The footprint required by this crane, is almost identical to that of our 450 tonne LTM 1450-8.1. This means that it can not only manage to work from small parking spots, but we also have the option of sending the LTM 1650-8.1 to a job for the 450 tonner if it's tied up at another location."

The Fair Research facility houses a particle accelerator for international research into material structure and universe development, with particles accelerated to near light speed for scientific experiments.

Riga is based in Mainz and runs operates around 50 Liebherr All Terrain and crawler cranes alongside 40 Scheuerle SPMT axle lines and powerlift tower systems. The company provides cranes, specialist transport and installation teams.