In March 2025, Dutch crane service provider M.J. van Riel removed a 240-tonne gantry crane from the inland port in Den Bosch for renovations. The company was tasked with reinstalling the renovated unit in July.
M.J. van Riel decided to use four cranes working together to lift the gantry crane, including three Tadano all-terrain units (two AC 9.700-1 units and one AC 8.500-1).
“The lift required enormous lifting capacities, which is why we decided on the specific cranes we used,” said Claire Van Riel, marketing and communication officer. All four cranes were stationed at Van Riel’s headquarters in Tilburg, just 30 km away. Once mobilised, the Van Riel team set up each crane with its full counterweight so that all the machines would be properly prepared for the demanding lift. As no super-lift configurations were required, the team was able to complete this work in around one and a half hours for each crane.
The lift itself proved to be significantly more demanding than the relatively straightforward task of setting up the cranes: “Synchronously lifting a load this heavy with four cranes is really complex and requires extremely meticulous planning,” said Claire Van Riel.
The load had to be evenly distributed among all four cranes. The lifting movements had to be synchronised so that the load would not overturn or warp. Moreover, communications between all crane operators had to go perfectly smoothly. Ultimately, the gantry crane was first lifted to a height of 24 m, then swung to the side 10 m, and finally set down with utmost precision.
