We recently happened upon a brand new Liebherr LTM 1650-8-1 all-terrain mobile crane in action at Ashtown, Dublin. Operated by O’Brien Crane Hire, this 8 axle machine, capable of lifting 700 tonnes, with a telescopic boom reaching 80 meters, was dismantling a white tower crane belonging to Walls Construction.
GABRIEL O’BRIEN CRANE HIRE
Founded in 1989 by Gabriel O’Brien with a single 15-tonne mobile crane and headquartered in Paddingstown, Clonee, County Meath, with offices in London, O’Brien Crane Hire has grown steadily to become one of Ireland’s longest-established crane hire firms. Today, the business remains family-led, with Gabriel working alongside his son Conor, overseeing a fleet that now numbers more than 50 cranes.
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CRANE FLEET
The O’Brien crane fleet supports a wide range of sectors including construction, infrastructure, energy and offshore projects throughout Ireland and the UK.
The company operates one of Ireland’s most comprehensive crane fleets, built to meet the demands of both heavy industry and confined urban sites. At the core of the fleet are modern mobile cranes, designed to lift the heaviest of loads, with capacities reaching up to 700 tonnes. These are complemented by crawler cranes, rated up to 500 tonnes, configured with lifting booms for large-scale and specialist operations.
For more flexible on-site and off-site work, the company deploys HIAB cranes, offering full lift and shift capability, with a knuckle boom that allows for precise handling and greater mobility. Interestingly, HIAB takes its name from Hydrauliska Industri AB, a Swedish firm founded in 1944 by Eric Sundin. It began as a brand, but the name has since become widely used as a generic term for truck-mounted hydraulic loader cranes. Also in the fleet and suitable for urban environments, mobile tower cranes provide an effective solution where space is limited, while spider cranes, compact and highly manoeuvrable, are used for both indoor and outdoor lifts in the tightest of spaces.
LIEBHERR
O’Brien’s operate a number of Liebherr cranes, produced by the German-Swiss firm founded in 1949 by Hans Liebherr. Having served with the Ulm Pioneer Battalion 101, an army engineering unit during the Second World War, Liebherr later established his own construction firm and developed the TK 10, the first mobile tower crane, designed for easy transport and simple set-up on site. It became the first product of Hans Liebherr Maschinenfabrik.
In 1953, Liebherr expanded further, developing the L300, recognised as Europe’s first hydraulic excavator. From these early innovations, the company grew into a major, family-owned engineering group, today manufacturing cranes, construction machinery, mining equipment, and domestic appliances.
The Liebherr Group has two locations in Ireland, Rathcoole, Dublin and Killarney, County Kerry. Established in 1958, the Killarney plant was the first Liebherr factory outside Germany, producing large tower cranes, including some of the largest in the world.
LTM 1650-8.1
Only a few months into service, a brand new 261-registered Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 all-terrain mobile crane was found at work in Ashtown, Dublin. Finished in a striking green livery and mounted on its eight-axle chassis, this 700-tonne crane, rated at a 3-metre working radius, represents the latest in Liebherr’s heavy-lift capability, offering a notable step forward over its predecessor.
Designed for both power and flexibility, the LTM 1650-8.1 can be configured with either a 54-metre or 80-metre telescopic boom, extending to a maximum hook height of up to 153 metres when fitted with a luffing jib. With an operating radius stretching beyond 110 metres and a total ballast of 175 tonnes, it is engineered to handle complex lifts across infrastructure, industrial and wind energy projects. Its VarioBallast system allows the ballast radius to be adjusted between 6.4 and 8.4 metres, while VarioBase technology enables variable outrigger positioning, increasing lifting capacity and safety on restricted sites.
Power is delivered by a single engine that handles both road travel and lifting operations, an 8 cylinder Liebherr diesel producing 677 hp, paired with a 12 speed ZF TraXon Torque gearbox.
Despite its size, the crane can travel on the road at speeds of up to 85 km/h, with a 16 x 8 x 16 drive and steering configuration distributing a 12-tonne axle load. The entire machine is controlled through Liebherr’s LICCON2 system, incorporating touchscreen controls, data logging and remote diagnostics, reflecting the level of precision now standard in modern crane operations.
TOWER CRANE DISASSEMBLY
On the day we observed it in action, this powerful machine was engaged in dismantling a white tower crane belonging to Walls Construction, which had played a central role in the construction of six apartment blocks rising to 14 storeys. The tower crane disassembly marked the final phase of the Rathborne Wharf development, a scheme comprising 725 apartment units.
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George Morahan – Business Plus
Liebherr website
