“It’s as though the Tadano AC 5.160-1 had been designed for us specifically,” Weiland Managing Directors Volker and Sebastian Degenhardt agree. And it literally was: “We looked at our customer’s requirements and equipped the crane with a special counterweight configuration that allows Weiland to use the five-axle unit as a taxi crane with a counterweight of 8.5 tonnes, all while staying under a 12-tonne axle load limit,” explains Frank Brachtendorf, the Tadano Head of Sales for the region of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland who handed over the crane to both managing directors in Zweibrücken.
With this specific counterweight configuration, the crane features a level of cost-effectiveness and versatility that is simply unbeatable for Weiland, as the unit will not only be able to tackle a large number of jobs without the need for expensive additional transportation vehicles, but will also make it significantly easier to get permits. But that is not the only thing that made the AC 5.160-1 compelling to the crane experts from Lampertheim, with the innovative IC‑1 Plus crane control system being a particularly strong selling point as well: “It makes it extremely easy and intuitive to operate the crane, meaning that we can get any trained operator on the AC 5.160-1 and they’ll be ready to get to work right away. In fact, that’s also part of why this crane is so cost-effective,” Sebastian Degenhardt points out and goes on to put in a good word for Tadano Online Tools, before adding that they work extraordinarily well with the IC-1 Plus and make it extremely easy to plan jobs in advance with simulations.
On top of this, the AC 5.160-1 also comes with the advantages generally found on any Tadano machine, such as the combination of a remarkably compact design and extraordinary lifting capacities. “That will allow us to use the crane as an extremely versatile all-rounder for a wide range of jobs throughout the entire Rhine-Neckar region,” Volker and Sebastian Degenhardt say when describing the way they plan to use their AC 5.160-1. The crane will be reinforcing the Lampertheim company’s Tadano fleet, which features not only an AC 2.040-1 and an AC 3.060-1, but also two cranes from Lauf in the form of an ATF 70G-4 and an ATF 220G-5. And there are more on the way: Weiland has already ordered an additional AC 5.160-1 with the same equipment. “It’s also important to add that we’re not just happy with the Tadano cranes themselves, but also with the company’s service: Customer support is absolutely great, the online spare parts shop works very smoothly, and we always get the perfect solutions for our specific needs – all within an hour’s drive to Zweibrücken, which is practically right outside our front door. I don’t think we could ask for more,” the two managing directors again agree.
