China Geo-Engineering Corporation in Hong Kong has taken advantage of the Liebherr Transform service and ordered a complete overhaul of its 23-year-old Liebherr HS 873 HD duty-cycle crawler crane. This is just one in a series of the company’s fleet of duty-cycle crawler cranes to be overhauled at Liebherr in Hong Kong – all of which are over 20 years old.

Even after 23 years of service, the HS 873 HD was found to be structurally good and so the customer decided to incorporate an upgrade in the process. “We only needed modest investments for an overhaul to get the machine working again. Consequently, we decided to upgrade its engine, from 480 kW to 605 kW and installed a second slewing gear,” explained German Leung, general manager of the foundations department at China Geo-Engineering Corporation.

With this increase in engine power, the strength and versatility of the HS 873 HD was greatly enhanced, making it well prepared for construction sites of today. “Basically, all our machines – HS 873 HD, HS 883 HD and HS 853 HD – are being sent to Liebherr one by one for overhaul so they will function like new,” said Mr Leung.

He added, “About six years ago, I received information from colleagues at Liebherr Hong Kong that they can take our crane directly to their factory. We highly appreciated this arrangement from Liebherr.”

The incorporated repair and maintenance workshop at Liebherr (HKG) Limited added to the convenience of the project as all work could be carried out in one location. All processes relating to the dismantling, reconditioning and assembly of the machine were performed by Liebherr’s own staff on site. Here, a team of experts manages the entire planning and implementation of Transform projects – from consultation through to installation, technical support and service.

Liebherr Transform provides an upgrade, modification and overhaul service to breathe new life into customers’ existing machines. It is available for crawler cranes (up to 400 t), deep foundation equipment and duty-cycle crawler cranes. The service includes a comprehensive range of structural, electrical, mechanical, ergonomic and digital modifications. With innovative technologies and expertise, the machines can be reconditioned to become stronger, faster, smarter and greener.

“This machine is completely overhauled and functions as new. So, we are very satisfied with the overhaul programme Liebherr Transform,” said Mr Leung.