Three Cranes.
One Lift.
One Beats Them All on Mobilization.
A real wind turbine lift, three crane configurations that get the job done, and the mobilization math that determines which one actually saves the project six figures. Coldfoot's LGD 1550, LTM 1800, and Demag TC-2800 are all capable of erecting a modern 89 m hub-height turbine. The question isn't "can it lift it" — it's "how many truckloads, how many days, how much money." Here's the side-by-side.
89 m Hub. 164,000 lb Nacelle. 80 ft Radius.
A modern utility-scale wind turbine erection lift. Tower hub at 89 m / 292 ft. Nacelle gross weight 164,000 lb. With load block and rigging on the hook, total gross load reaches ~185,000 lb. The tip-height requirement runs 335 to 350 ft. All numbers below configure to this scope.
Every One of These Cranes Makes the Pick.
Each crane below is configured for the 89 m hub lift, with chart capacity above the 185 kip gross load at 80 ft radius. The difference shows up in mobilization, setup time, and total project economics — not in raw lift capability.
LGD 1550
24-tire X-platform carrier means self-propelled mobility between sites. The SL3H head adapter delivers the height for 89 m hub work without the derrick complexity. Coldfoot's sweet spot for wind erection at this hub class.
LR 1600/2
The crane that built the modern wind industry. 223 units delivered worldwide between 2008 and 2021, specifically engineered for turbine erection. Walks loads between pads on tracks. More mobilization than the wheeled options — but unmatched for multi-pick wind farm cycles where between-site walking beats outrigger reset every time.
TC-2800
Lattice boom on a wheeled AT chassis with 102 m main boom built in 12 m and 6 m sections — shorter than the LGD 1550's 14 m and 7 m modules. Smaller transport units mean tighter permit envelopes, simpler escort routing through wind-farm access roads, and faster on-site assembly. Largest outrigger base in the class at 14×14 m. Built specifically for wind farm cycle work — fewer transport units than any crawler of similar capacity, and the SSL configuration with 300 t suspended ballast delivers chart numbers that match the LR-1600/2 at a fraction of the mobilization cost.
Mobilization Math.
Count the Trucks.
The Liebherr LR-1700.1 is the industry-current wind erection crawler — replacing the discontinued LR-1600/2 with 15% more capacity. It's a capable machine, and at this hub-height class it doesn't even need its derrick package; the integrated A-frame self-erects the boom in standard SL configuration. But it still arrives on more trucks than every Coldfoot option. The LR 1600/2 sits in our fleet at 32 truckloads for the same lift. Across a multi-turbine wind farm, the mobilization delta turns into days of saved time and six-figure savings in transport and crew.
What 20 Fewer Trucks Actually Means
At 89 m hub height, the LR-1700.1 doesn't need its derrick package — it self-erects on its A-frame in SL configuration, dropping mobilization to roughly 36 truckloads (down from 40+ in full derrick wind config). It's still the most truck-heavy option in this lift class. For a 30-turbine wind farm with a single staging move per site, the TC-2800 saves ~600 truck-loads of mobilization versus the LR-1700.1 across the project. At industry-standard heavy-haul rates, that's six figures in transport before counting crew-day savings on faster assembly. The LR-1700.1 earns its place at hub heights above 150 m with heavier nacelles — but at the 89 m class, it's the wrong tool, and the math proves it.
Pick the Right Tool. Not the Biggest.
All three Coldfoot configurations handle the 89 m lift. Which one wins depends on what else the project demands — schedule pressure, between-site moves, weather window, and how the lift study quantifies utilization. Here's the trade-off matrix.
| Selection Criterion | LGD 1550 | LR 1600/2 | TC-2800 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest Mobilization | 18 loads | 32 loads | 16 loads · WIN |
| Highway Mobility | 24-tire self-propelled | Crawler · SPMT transport | 8-axle self-propelled |
| Walk-with-Load Between Pads | No · outrigger reset | Yes · on tracks | No · outrigger reset |
| Boom Section Modularity | 14 m + 7 m sections | SL13 modular system | 12 m + 6 m · shortest in class |
| Tip Height Headroom | Adequate for 350 ft | Strong above 400 ft | Strongest · 102 m boom |
| Capacity Above 100 ft Radius | Solid | Excellent w/ VarioTray | Best w/ SSL + 300 t ballast |
| Suspended Counterweight | 200 t derrick ballast | VarioTray system | 300 t suspended ballast tray |
| Outrigger Footprint | 43×43 ft | Crawler footprint | 14×14 m · 46×46 ft |
| Daily Rate | Most economical | Mid-premium | Premium |
| Best Use Case | Wind erection at moderate hub heights · single-site projects · cost-sensitive scope | Multi-pick wind farms where walk-with-load between turbines saves cycle time | Multi-turbine wind farms with tight access · datacenter build-outs · projects where mobilization economics dominate |
Tell Us About the Lift. We'll Pick the Right Crane.
Send the load weight, radius, hub height, site location, and schedule. Coldfoot's engineering team will run the LICCON lift study, calculate the mobilization cost, and quote the configuration that wins the project — not just the one that lifts the load.
Request a Quote