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They gave up five tonnes of capacity and got back something worth a lot more: the ability to drive anywhere without asking permission.
Montage- und Kranservice Werner GmbH, based in Berlin-Mahlsdorf, has taken delivery of a three-axle Liebherr LTM 1055-3.3. The 55-tonne machine replaces an older 60-tonne unit in the fleet.
On paper that is a downgrade. In practice it is the opposite, and the reason is sitting in the axle load column.
Staying under those thresholds puts the crane inside Germany's no-notification zone. No cumbersome driving permits. Unrestricted nationwide operation.
Think about what that does to a dispatch board. No permit lead time means same-day work is real. No route approvals means a call at 7 a.m. can be a lift at 10. For a taxi-crane operation, the machine that can just leave is worth more than the machine with a slightly bigger chart.
Company owner Detlef Werner did not agonize over it: "When I saw the new LTM 1055-3.3 at Bauma 2025, I knew straight away: I want that one."
Sometimes the spec sheet just answers a problem you have been living with.
The axle layout is not an accident. Two steering axles up front and one at the rear sharpens maneuverability on tight sites — which is where a 55-tonne crane earns its keep in the first place. Nobody buys this machine for open ground.
Werner called out the RemoteDrive radio remote control as especially valuable on cramped job sites. It lets the operator drive the crane from outside the cab, with a clear view of the corners that the mirrors lie about.
Anyone who has backed a crane into an alley with a spotter yelling over an engine will understand the appeal of walking alongside your own machine instead. He also praised the LICCON3 control system's usability and Liebherr's service responsiveness.
The Werner operation is family-owned, founded 27 years ago, now run by the second generation alongside the founder. The fleet spans mini-cranes up to 120-tonne machines, including an LTM 1120-4.1 also from Liebherr.
Capacity is the number everybody quotes. Availability is the number that gets paid.
A 55-tonne crane that rolls out the gate today beats a 60-tonne crane waiting on a permit — every time, on every board, in every market. Werner did not buy a smaller crane. They bought a faster one.
That is the kind of thinking that keeps a family shop alive for 27 years. Craneaholics is built for exactly those people.
