IN Brief:
- The LRT 1090-2.1 is reported to be the first 90-tonne model of its type operating in Scotland.
- The crane provides a 47m main boom and maximum hook height of approximately 66m.
- VarioBase allows the load chart to respond to the actual position of each outrigger.
Bernard Hunter has added a Liebherr LRT 1090-2.1 rough-terrain crane to its fleet, introducing what is reported to be the first 90-tonne example of the model operating in Scotland.
Built around a compact two-axle chassis, the crane has a maximum lifting capacity of 90 tonnes and a 47m telescopic main boom. A bi-fold swingaway extension increases maximum hook height to approximately 66m and working radius to around 50m.
The fly jib can be configured between 10.5m and 19m and offset by as much as 40 degrees, allowing the crane to work around roof edges, process equipment, structural elements, and other obstructions where a vertical boom line would not provide adequate access.
Liebherr’s VarioBase system records the actual extension and position of each outrigger before calculating the capacity available in that configuration. On constrained sites, the crane can therefore operate with asymmetrical outrigger positions where structures, excavations, boundaries, or traffic prevent a full spread.
Although the system adjusts the load chart to the crane’s physical setup, it does not remove the requirement for engineered ground assessment and lift planning. Its advantage lies in giving planners and operators an accurate capacity for the footprint that can be achieved.
A tilting cab is intended to improve visibility during high-boom work, while cameras, electronic monitoring, and the crane-control system provide further information during setup and lifting.
Bernard Hunter’s wider fleet ranges from compact Böcker and Maeda machines to large Liebherr all-terrain cranes with capacities reaching 700 tonnes. Mobile tower cranes and specialist lifting equipment support work across construction, industrial, utilities, and infrastructure projects.
The new rough-terrain unit occupies a different position from larger road-going all-terrain cranes because its compact chassis and off-road mobility allow movement around prepared sites. Its boom length and capacity suit structural steel, precast elements, mechanical plant, modules, and general project lifting.
Capacity is increasingly constrained by footprint
Crane investment is being shaped by projects that demand greater lifting capacity within smaller working areas. Urban construction, energy infrastructure, industrial upgrades, and refurbishment frequently offer limited space for outriggers, assembly, deliveries, and exclusion zones.
Variable outrigger systems can increase usable capacity over a fully retracted setup by recognising where individual supports can extend further. Their effectiveness still depends on accurate positioning and sufficient bearing capacity beneath every outrigger.
Ground conditions remain among the most significant lifting risks because backfilled excavations, buried services, basement slabs, culverts, retaining structures, and temporary haul roads may appear adequate at surface level while lacking the capacity to carry concentrated loads.
The crane supplier, appointed person, temporary-works team, principal contractor, and ground owner need a shared basis for assessing those conditions. Outrigger mats can distribute load across a larger area, but they do not strengthen weak ground or resolve uncertainty over hidden structures.
Scottish lifting companies have continued investing in machinery suited to specialised and constrained work, with Global Crane Services adding elevated-cab Liebherr cranes for industrial, port, and infrastructure operations where visibility and positioning are critical.
Fleet expansion also reflects demand for lifting plans that reduce disruption. A crane with sufficient boom and capacity may complete a lift from outside an occupied area, reduce relocations, or avoid the assembly time associated with a larger lattice-boom machine.
Those gains must be balanced against transport, fuel, mobilisation, operator availability, and utilisation. A higher-capacity crane creates value only when its capabilities match a sufficient pipeline of work rather than being sent routinely to lifts that could be completed by smaller equipment.
Modern control systems provide more detailed operational data, yet responsibility remains with competent people. Wind limits, load weight, radius, rigging, ground bearing, nearby structures, overhead services, and communication still need to be resolved for each lift.
The LRT 1090-2.1 can operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil, giving fleet owners an alternative to conventional diesel where an assured supply is available. Fuel choice does not alter the need to minimise idling, plan movements, and select a crane proportionate to the task.
Bernard Hunter’s latest acquisition extends the capacity available between compact site cranes and the company’s larger all-terrain fleet. Its strongest applications are likely to be projects where rough-ground mobility, restricted setup space, and substantial reach are required together.
