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Classic Form 30A/35 returns to the Liebherr Tower Crane Center

After more than 50 years, a classic Form 30A/35 Liebherr tower crane has been restored to its original condition.

The crane’s owner, Stephan Keim, discovered the crane in 2008 and saved it from being scrapped. He worked for years to return it to its original functional state.

The crane is now on display at the Liebherr Tower Crane Center in Bad Waldsee, on load from Keim.

A 350-km trip back home

Before the crane could be assembled at Liebherr, it was disassembled and transported from Aschaffenburg to Bad Waldsee, a 350-km journey. On site, Keim and a team of Liebherr mechanics reassembled the crane within two days. Visitors can now admire the crane as an industrial monument at the Tower Crane Center site.

“We’re excited that this part of Liebherr history has returned to us. Over the years, many historical construction machines have been taken out of service and scrapped,” said Michael Goll, Head of Global Communication & Organizational Development at Liebherr-Werk Biberach GmbH.

“It’s important to us to preserve our history and Stephan Keim has made an important contribution to that.”

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Restoration required more than four years– from its discovery to the finishing touches.

“The crane was dilapidated when I acquired it,” Keim said.

The account manager hadn’t restored a machine of that size until then. The crane, constructed in July 1969, was rusted and many of its components were badly damaged or broken.

“Changing the screws of the ring gear alone took a whole day. They are very difficult to reach,” Keim said.

The bolts, too, were rusty and beyond use, however, they were of good substance. They were polished, galvanised and reused wherever possible. The whole crane was sandblasted and repainted. Keim changed every single screw. Furthermore, the rope pulley bearing and control cabinet, as well as the ropes and wiring, were restored.

Operational again

Overall, Keim was able to buy and include numerous original and spare parts that Liebherr still has in stock. Liebherr also provided 120 litres of the original yellow varnish.

“But the driver’s cabin posed a big challenge. It had rusted completely, and the metal sheets were full of holes. It was beyond repair,” Keim said.

Supported by his locksmith, he replicated the metal sheets, accurate to the millimetre, so that they were indistinguishable from the original. Today, the crane has a UVV (accident prevention regulation) test badge and is once again fully operational.

The Form 30A/35 origins

The Liebherr Form 30A/35 was produced from 1962 until the mid-1970s. It was one of the most widely built medium-sized cranes of its time. Liebherr constructed about 3,000 models. Erecting cranes with needle jibs were the common models at the time. Until, in the mid-seventies, a new, fully modified type of cranes entered the market. They were easier to transport and more cost-efficient than the models that were common at the time.

Although it gradually vanished from construction sites, the Form 30A/35 marked the beginning of a new era in crane construction: it was the first of its kind constructed with tubular and hollow profiles instead of the previously used L-profiles. In a modernized form, this construction method is still being used in all Liebherr tower cranes today.