The impressive Neckartal Bridge near Horb is a prime example of modern bridge construction technology: 667 meters long, 65 meters high, and, as an extradosed bridge, technically sophisticated in its design and construction. For the lifting of two bridge elements weighing 32 tonnes each at a height of 64 meters, the crane service provider Wiesbauer relied on a tandem lift with its new Tadano AC 7.450-1. The second crane was provided by the partner company AKM from Munich. “We master such challenging operations with state-of-the-art crane and lifting technology, for which the AC 7.450-1 is a prime example,” explains Managing Director Sissy Wiesbauer, justifying the choice of this crane for the bridge construction project.
The first operational use of the newly delivered AC 7.450-1 was the privilege of Wiesbauer crane operator Jannik Weigle, who had also transported the crane after its handover in Zweibrücken: “We configured our new Tadano for this lift with a 76-meter main boom and 120 tonnes of counterweight. As with any tandem lift, the challenge in Horb was ensuring that both cranes lifted in perfect synchronicity so that the load was always precisely balanced on the hook,” he emphasized.
“Everything went perfectly!”
A prerequisite for the successful tandem lift was that the teams had coordinated perfectly beforehand and, of course, that communication during the lift functioned flawlessly. All participants were connected via radio: The spotter and the two crane operators constantly coordinated during the lift to maintain full control over the load at all times. “The lifting concept developed by our team beforehand proved to be extremely effective – we lifted the two 24-meter-long structural elements as planned and positioned them with centimeter precision at a height of 64 meters. Everything worked perfectly,” reports Jannick Weigle.
Praise for the crane
He is also very satisfied with the crane’s first deployment: “The AC 7.450-1 is large, powerful, and yet incredibly compact for its class. It was simply the best crane for this job,” he sums up. He is particularly impressed with the 80-meter telescopic boom: “With a smaller model, we would have had to install a jib, and with a larger crane with a sufficiently long boom, we would have run into space problems on the construction site,” he explains – so, in that respect, there was really no alternative to the AC 7.450-1 for this job.
