Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 adds another floor to pediatric clinic

30 Second Takeaway

Wiesbauer has successfully used its new Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane to add an entire new floor to a pediatric clinic in Heilbronn, Germany—overcoming tight access, limited setup space, and complex logistics. The project highlights how compact, high-capacity mobile cranes enable precision lifting in sensitive hospital environments, supporting fast, efficient construction without disrupting critical medical operations.

New classrooms for a paediatric clinic: the LTM 1650-8.1 erects a complete storey on top of the existing building in four days.

Wiesbauer GmbH & Co. KG, a large crane and heavy haulage company based in southern Germany, added a new Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 mobile crane to its fleet last summer. The crane was delivered with both versions of the telescopic equipment with lengths of 50 and 80 metres. The first deployment with the long T5 boom took place recently. The crane lifted large construction modules for a future school onto the flat roof of a clinic building. The limited space available on site was a tricky aspect of this endeavor.

The access road was a tough one. With its steering programmes, the compact 700-tonne crane eases backwards through the narrow space between the gatehouse and the wall.

In September, huge modules were installed on the roof of a children’s clinic in Heilbronn to create new classrooms for the hospital. However, the crane contractor Wiesbauer, which entrusted its brand-new LTM 1650-8.1 with this task, faced major challenges not so much in the lifting work as in the preliminary planning.

“We had to pass through quite a narrow section on the access road to the site,” reports Christoph Kriegel, who coordinated the operation as project manager for Wiesbauer. A gatehouse bordered the entrance on one side and a listed wall on the other. The 8-axle crane had to pass the entrance while travelling around bends. “No other crane in this load capacity class is built compactly enough to get through here,” says Kriegel, adding: “We couldn’t set up the crane on the other side of the hospital wing due to shafts and ducts underground.”

The huge modular construction elements also have to be reloaded at the access road to the construction site.

The construction modules, which are up to 17 metres long and 4.80 metres wide, could not be transported to the site on the road transport vehicles due to this bottleneck at the site access road. A small mobile crane at the entrance therefore took over the handling of the bulky loads onto a lorry, which shuttled inside and transported the prefabricated elements to the LTM 1650-8.1.

No space for luffing jib mounting

Only with the long version of the telescopic boom was it possible to lift the construction modules onto the hospital roof in Heilbronn. “We would have needed a luffing jib for the short telescopic mast, but we didn’t have enough space to set it up here,” explained project manager Kriegel. At the beginning of the planning phase, there was also a requirement that the mobile crane should be able to retract its boom when a rescue helicopter approaches the hospital’s heliport, which is just 100 metres away. However, the approach and departure direction for the helicopters was then changed without further ado so that the crane work could also continue during the helicopter operations.

175 tonnes of ballast and the mast bracing provide the powerful mobile crane with sufficient lifting capacity and stability.

For crane operator Ralf Hoffmann, his fourth job with the brand-new mobile crane was routine right from the start. “I’m already familiar with working with the 700-tonne truck because I also drove our first LTM 1650-8.1. The road trip with the large telescopic boom, for which we had a special permit with a total weight of 106 tonnes, was a bit top-heavy, but it went well. Accessing the site, on the other hand, was actually a bit tricky.”

Hoffmann has already used the new vehicle to dismantle a bridge and lift a 100-tonne generator. After building the school on the roof of the clinic, the team went straight on to Ludwigshafen to lift parts of a railway bridge.

The crane and fitters have to position the massive modules with high precision to ensure that the new story fits perfectly on the hospital roof.

About Wiesbauer GmbH & Co. KG

Wiesbauer GmbH & Co. KG is a Germany-based crane and heavy-duty logistics specialist, headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen. The company is recognized as a full-service provider for crane operations, heavy haulage, and industrial assembly projects across construction, infrastructure, and industrial sectors.

With approximately 160 employees and a fleet of around 70 mobile, mobile tower folding, and crawler cranes ranging up to the 1,000-tonne class Wiesbauer delivers engineered lifting solutions for technically demanding projects. The company operates a predominantly Liebherr-based fleet, reflecting a focus on reliability, performance, and advanced crane technology.

Wiesbauer’s expertise spans complex urban lifts, infrastructure projects, and industrial installations, where precise planning and execution are critical to success.

Learn More: https://wiesbauer-krane.de/

About Liebherr Mobile Cranes Ehingen Division

Liebherr Werk Ehingen GmbH (LWE) is the Liebherr Group’s global center of excellence for mobile and crawler crane design and manufacturing. Based in Ehingen an der Donau, Germany, the division has been producing crane technology since 1969 and is regarded as one of the world’s leading crane manufacturing facilities.

The Ehingen division develops Liebherr’s portfolio of all-terrain mobile cranes, including high-capacity models such as the LTM 1650-8.1, which combine compact design with exceptional lifting performance. Advanced steering systems, modular boom concepts, and the LICCON crane control system enable precise operation in confined spaces while maintaining high safety standards.

Liebherr mobile cranes from Ehingen are widely used in construction, infrastructure, industrial assembly, and healthcare-related projects, where reliability, maneuverability, and minimal site disruption are essential.

Learn More: https://www.liebherr.com/en-us/mobile-and-crawler-cranes/mobile-and-crawler-cranes-4407715

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the scope of the project at the pediatric clinic?

The project involved lifting and installing large prefabricated construction modules to create new classrooms on the roof of an existing children’s clinic.

Which crane was used for the installation?

Wiesbauer deployed a Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1, a 700-tonne capacity all-terrain mobile crane.

Why was the LTM 1650-8.1 chosen for this job?

Its compact design, high lifting capacity, and availability with an 80-metre telescopic boom made it suitable for restricted access and limited setup space on the hospital site.

What were the main challenges of the lift?

Key challenges included narrow site access, underground utilities restricting crane positioning, limited space for jib assembly, and coordinating operations near an active hospital heliport.

How were oversized construction modules handled on site?

Due to access constraints, the modules were reloaded at the site entrance using a smaller mobile crane before being transported to the main crane for final lifting.

How long did the crane operation take?

The entire additional storey was erected on the hospital roof over a four-day period.