 | | The large Liebherr box. |  |  | | The middle tray contains the carrier and hooks. |  | | The LG1750 instructions. |  | | The carrier is every bit as heavy as it looks. |  | | With suitable haulage you can build yourself a convoy. |  | | With the crane hanging, the LG1750 carrier drives into position and sets up. |  | | Attaching the ballast trays. The boom butt awaits on a Talbert Trailer. |  | | Lifting in the boom butt. |  | | The 300t hook is partially reeved and ready. |  | | The outrigger beams are very strong, and there is no feeling of weakness in the pistons either. |  | | The head of the main boom. The pendants are joined with pinned connections. |  | | Heavy construction. |  | | Carrier details between the outriggers. |  | | The 600t hook. |  | | The tray is extendible to increase the radius and hence the lifting capacity of the crane. |
| The Liebherr LG1750 is a unique high capacity mobile crane. The upper structure is derived from the LR1750 Crawler Crane and the carrier is an 8-axle machine which is purpose built to provide a stable platform for the crane to operate on. When the crane is used at a worksite the upper structure is lifted onto the carrier and then the crane is erected in the required configuration.
Some facts describe the size of the machine. The LG1750 can lift 750t at 7m radius, and the main boom can be a maximum length of 140m. The luffing jib can be a maximum of 105m. When travelling, the maximum speed of the carrier is 80km/h (50mph). A maximum of 650t of counterweight can be used.
Packaging
The model box is large and very heavy which reflects the amount of metal inside. It consists of a picture sleeve which wraps the three expanded polystyrene trays which contain the model, complete with a lid for the top tray. The box protects the model very well and there were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
No information is provided about the real crane, but a 14 page colour instruction booklet is included. It has photos of the box trays with parts annotated so they can be identified during the assembly process which is a help. The assembly instructions are a series of staged photographs with the components at each stage identified and the instructions are similar to the LR1750 in that there is almost nothing written which is presumably to avoid the need to provide translations. As with the crawler crane version of the model the pictorial stages for fixing the parts together are quite good, but they are not clear enough for reeving the model. There is a lack of a clear description of which winch drums should control which function and where for example the hoist ropes should run through the derrick. There are reeving diagrams for the three sets of luffing gear, but nothing at all for reeving the hooks and it is surprising that this is still missing on this version of the model.
The manufacture of the parts is to the usual Conrad high standard and tolerances so it fits together well. Spares are included for both the bolts and the pendants, which is useful. Plenty of thread is provided on reels and this has to be wound onto the relevant drums on the model. Reeving the crane requires plenty of patience, and a cool hand and head. It is not the most difficult model to build but it would be as well to allow eight hours to build it in its full configuration with both hooks.
Detail
The carrier is a very heavy model in its own right, with very little plastic used. Underneath there is no attempt to provide detail on the chassis with most of the effort probably being directed to ensure the model is strong enough for the loads that are applied to it.
It is good to see that Conrad have attempted to model the differing hubs on the real crane rather than just using the same hub design throughout and it looks all the better for it. The tyres mounted on the hubs have a very heavy tread pattern. The clean lines of the driving cab have been modelled well, and includes relevant detail from the real crane including a towing hitch, windscreen wipers, mirrors and orange beacon lights. The headlights inset into the bumper are represented nicely.
The massive features on the carrier are the outrigger beams, and these are huge and are fully made of metal. The beams have details within the castings which are good representations of the original machine. At the ends, the pistons are represented authentically with smooth surfaces rather than visible screw threads, and they bear down on separate large plastic pads, which have enough detail to make them interesting.
Behind the cab, the deck has a diamond patterned texture throughout. The engine block has a radiator grille, and there is a chrome exhaust pipe. At the pedestal there are ladders which lead to the slewing ring, and on the outside edges there is a diamond patterned plate on each side which are stored vertically during transport. At the rear of the carrier there are steps and handrails up to the deck, and there are a pair of orange beacon lights and painted light clusters.
As is expected for Conrad models, detail is not at the highest levels. The outrigger beams are controlled by hydraulic cylinders and whilst the cylinder jackets are plastic, they have a good colour match, but there are no hydraulic lines detailed.
The crane is derived from the LR1750 model and in this respect reflects the philosophy of the real crane, and there are few changes from that model other than where the real crane differs.
The crane body has a swing away cab which includes a walkway and handrails but does not have some of the smaller details such as wipers and mirrors. Inside, the cab has a representation of controls and screens. The crane body has essential detail within the casting representing panels and handles, and there are a couple of ladders. At the front, the three slewing motors look realistic, and they are complete with drive pinions, although there are no hydraulic lines modelled. Moving to the rear, the engine enclosure includes textured surfaces and grilles and a metal exhaust pipe. The grille detail also extends to the underside of the body. Heavy ballast trays hang off each side at the rear. The only plastic parts are the hoist drums, and the bridles and pulleys on the luffing gear. The moving mast includes the hydraulic hook which is found on the crawler crane version. Platforms with handrails fit to both sides of the crane body and it is just a pity that one of the parts is a large 'L-shaped' piece which cannot be used as a transport load.
The boom and jib sections are all fine examples of Conrad’s model engineering ability. Geometrically perfect, they fit together extremely well. They are joined together by the usual Conrad plastic pins which work fine. At the crane body, spring loaded back stops prevent the boom and derrick from over luffing and these parts are all metal. All of the pulleys are plastic, and are free rolling. One of the changes on this model from the LR1750 version is the pendant bars which are of higher grade plastic (but still grey) and are pinned at the connections which gives a proper load path and means the bars do not distort under load - a significant improvement.
The luffing bridles are plastic, presumably to keep the weight of these parts down so that the lines do not sag unduly. Another plastic part is the pulley holder on the main boom head and this would certainly have been better in metal like the luffing jib head, which is a heavy piece. Plastic Liebherr signboards are fixed to the boom and jib.
Two hooks are provided which consist of the same modular components They strip down to separate pulley block and hook assemblies with only the pulleys and pins being plastic. The counterweight tray pins to the back of the crane and has a textured walking surface and nicely rendered metal handrails. Ladders descend to the support bed, and the support mechanism is detailed within the casting, but the cylinders are non functioning. The counterweight slabs are very good, with lifting eyes that facilitate lifting with suitable chains to make an interesting pose.
Features
The steering on the carrier is good with each axle being independently steerable. A good lock can be obtained without the tyres being fouled.
The outrigger beams pull out laterally from the carrier and can be telescoped out to maximum extension at which point they 'click' into place. It is also possible to pose the model with shortened outrigger beams like the original. There does not seem any easy way to remove the outrigger beams to enable the beams to be transported on a separate vehicle. On both outside edges of the carrier between the outriggers are plastic diamond patterned plates which fold down to provide a platform. These work on the model but are a very tight fit so some care is needed to prise them loose.
The crane fits into the slewing ring on top of the carrier and clips into place. There is a 'button' inside the crane which, when pressed, releases the catches and allows the crane to be detached from the carrier. Although the mechanism seems a little lightweight, it held the crane under all load conditions during the review, some of which were testing.
On the crane the cab is a swing away type which tucks in at the front when in transport mode. It can also be tilted slightly to allow the operator comfort when the crane is lifting at height.
A working hydraulic hook is provided which is connected to the moving mast and it has a suitably stiff cylinder so that the hook can be posed at a variety of lengths and hold a load without the ram ‘bleeding’.
All three hoist drums in the crane body are spring loaded and resistant to slipping under load. They are operated using detachable winch handles which push through holes in the crane body and they have a slotted end so they can be driven using a powered screwdriver. The three hoist drums mounted in the boom and derrick sections are operated similarly so that all the functions of the real crane can be replicated. There is also a small auxiliary hoist drum at the front of the crane by the slewing motors.
The counterweight tray is extendible and has notches which produce three different extension radii.
The main feature of the model is the modular construction allowing it to be used to make up a large number of transport loads. It can also be built in many different configurations with or without derrick, with or without luffing jib and with or without counterweight tray. The boom and jib can be built up to the desired length giving a large range of display options.
This is large and heavy model and the stresses in the model get significant although there is never the feeling that it cannot take the loads applied.
Quality
This model is what you would expect from Conrad. The model engineering is very good and robust, and it is a sturdy crane when built up. It fits together well. On the other hand although many details are good, it is not a very highly detailed model.
Paintwork and lettering is all fine and plastic is used sparingly.
Price
This is a relatively pricey crane model although you do get plenty of metal for your money. It represents fair value for the size and engineering involved in a model such as this.
Overall
Collectors have had to wait a long time for the LG1750 to appear. It was first rumoured in 2006 and appeared as a prototype at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2007, before finally being available towards the end of 2008. It has been worth the wait as the model is an impressive engineering achievement, and certainly looks very good.
As is common now, the level of detail in the model is not as high as some of the modern competition, and it is not inexpensive. There are improvements which could have been expected. The manual should certainly include reeving instructions for the hooks, and other instructions could be clearer.
To summarise this is very good model, and no doubt many collectors would like to see it in some other liveries, and it is to be hoped these will appear. The options to build the model many different ways gives display flexibility, and all in all it is highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model first appeared as a prototype at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 2007. The model appeared at dealers from October 2008. It disappeared from Conrad's catalogue in February 2009, although a version in Felbermayr blue was shown at the 2009 Nuremberg Toy Fair. At the Intermat Exhibition in April 2009, a new SLH version appeared in Liebherr colours. This is a windmill erection configuration and excludes the derrick. It was available from the Liebherr web shop immediately.
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|  | | The top tray holds counterweights and lattice sections. |  | | The bottom tray has the crane body, counterweight tray and lattice sections. |  | | The rear end with steps up to the deck. |  | | Driving cab and chunky tyres. |  | | To assemble the LG1750, an LTM1200 lifts the crane off a Nooteboom MCO-121-08V semitrailer. |  | | The crane body is lowered onto the carrier. The outriggers of the LG1750 pass over the top of those of its smaller brother. Note the small pull-down platform just below the turntable. |  | | Loading the counterweight slabs from a Goldhofer Ballast Carrier. |  | | The crane is being rigged with a main boom only. |  | | The LG1750 lifts the LTM1200. |  | | Massive outrigger beam The crane sits high on the carrier. |  | | The crane rigged with the derrick. |  | | The crane rigged with the counterweight tray partially loaded. |  | | Fully rigged, the crane lifts a Fermentation Tank high into the air. |  | | The model towers a very impressive 2m (6ft+). |
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