en.Wedoany.com Reported - Bennetts Cranes has installed the UK's first Liebherr 620 HC-L luffing jib crane on a compact site within York's medieval city walls for the construction of a new hotel. The site conditions ruled out most conventional lifting solutions: the crane is positioned just four meters from the building under construction, must handle precast panels weighing up to 14 tonnes, and its operating radius cannot encroach on neighboring properties.

Urban development is shifting from open greenfield sites to infill plots in city centers constrained by existing buildings, conservation regulations, and limited access, driving increasing demand for high-capacity compact cranes. Bennetts, a specialist crane rental company and UK distributor for Raimondi, operates a multi-brand fleet. At the bauma trade fair in Munich in 2025, the company confirmed the purchase of three 620 HC-L units, becoming the first customer worldwide to put this model into service. This decision aims to provide a competitive lifting solution for challenging inner-city sites, with the York project serving as the first practical validation of this strategy.

The technical core of the 620 HC-L lies in resolving the long-standing trade-off in urban lifting. The model offers a maximum lifting capacity of 36 tonnes in two-fall operation and a minimum working radius of just 4.1 meters with a full 65-meter jib. Liebherr's Load-Plus function can increase lifting capacity by 76% on specific load charts, expanding the range of components that can be lifted without reconfiguration. The crane's out-of-service position is approximately 12 meters, with the luffing jib able to raise and reduce the radius, ensuring the crane does not slew into neighboring airspace when close to the structure. In York, Bennetts equipped the machine with a 45-meter single-fall jib, giving an out-of-service radius of 12.9 meters, adapted to the site constraints. This series is the first Liebherr luffing jib crane to use aramid fiber ropes, featuring the EMS-4 control system and TC-OS operating platform, along with a parallel luffing system for horizontal load paths and the Micromove function for precise positioning.

The development is located on a former banana warehouse site, being transformed into a 168-room Marriott hotel. The site lies within York's historic city walls, subject to conservation regulations, archaeological sensitivity, narrow access roads, and strict over-sail restrictions. Bennetts worked with Liebherr to confirm that the 620 HC-L could meet the lifting capacity requirements while ensuring its slewing arc remained entirely within the site boundary. During installation, only one mobile crane could be used for assembly, and trucks carrying components had to unload on a closed road outside the site. The crane's pin-jointed tower system and pre-installed rope threading design reduced on-site reeving time. Tracey Pockett, Director of Bennetts Cranes, stated that Liebherr technicians were present during installation to provide familiarization training for the team, reducing the risk of delays during the most sensitive phase.

The intelligent control system of the 620 HC-L monitors available power and adjusts performance accordingly, enabling it to operate on mains electricity. This capability is particularly important in the context of policy changes—since April 2022, the UK construction industry has no longer been entitled to use rebated red diesel (which previously benefited from a duty of 46.81 pence per liter) in non-road mobile machinery and mobile generators. Switching to mains electricity simultaneously reduces fuel costs, emissions, and noise. For city center projects and those subject to air quality reviews, this feature aligns with the government's policy trend of viewing red diesel as a significant source of carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.

By ordering three units rather than a single trial machine, Bennetts signals its expectation of sustained demand for urban regeneration, hotel and residential development, and construction in conservation areas. The York installation demonstrates the practical application of a high-capacity compact crane in one of the most challenging site types, proving that heavy lifting and a compact footprint can coexist. For owners and developers facing similar site constraints, this case provides a reference on how equipment selection can impact project feasibility.