Hack Schwerlastservice GmbH, a heavy-lifting specialist based in Neuwied, Germany, has added a powerful new crane to its fleet: the Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1. The crane’s first job was no small feat — dismantling a steel pedestrian bridge built in 1906 in Naunheim, near Wetzlar.
With a lifting capacity of 700 tonnes, it’s now the company’s most powerful mobile crane. But beyond raw power, what made this model stand out was its compact size and quick availability.
Rather than wait months for a brand-new unit, Hack opted for a nearly-new used model. Liebherr was able to deliver a lightly used LTM 1650-8.1 quickly, making it a practical solution for urgent upcoming jobs.
At 50 metres long and weighing 27.5 tonnes , the old structure had become unsafe. Equipped with 155 tonnes of counterweight and operating at a 35.8-metre radius, the LTM 1650-8.1 lifted the bridge effortlessly.
Crane operator Gerhard Mees praised its precision and performance: “It’s as strong as an ox but as responsive as a racehorse.” He noted that the crane was capable of lifting up to 42 tonnes at that boom radius, well above what was needed for the job.
This isn’t a one-job machine. The LTM 1650-8.1 can be configured in various ways, making it ideal for a range of heavy-duty tasks. Hack plans to deploy it for everything from bridge work to wind turbine maintenance, as well as port operations and lifting precast concrete components.
Founded in 1959 by Werner Hack Senior and his wife Apollonia, Hack Schwerlastservice has grown into a regional heavyweight in lifting and logistics.
The business is now run by the second generation — siblings Irene, Werner, and Udo Hack — and operates across several locations, including Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Westerwald. The company owns more than 36 mobile cranes, most of them supplied by Liebherr.
