The “Kathi’s #1” sticker on Weiland’s new Tadano AC 6.300-1 may seem inscrutable to the uninitiated at first, but there is a simple explanation for it: It is the first crane ordered by authorized signatory Katharina Degenhardt. “The fact that she chose our AC 6.300-1 is something that we’re tremendously happy about,” points out Frank Brachtendorf, Tadano Head of Sales for the German-speaking region of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland who handed over the crane in Zweibrücken, together with an AC 4.100L-1, to Weiland managing directors Sebastian and Volker Degenhardt and authorized signatories Katharina and Renate Degenhardt.
With Katharina’s appointment as an authorized signatory and her recent incorporation as a partner, the company is continuing with its gradual generational handover, which started when her brother Sebastian took over managing responsibilities in 2023. All signs indicate that Weiland is continuing on its growth trajectory under this new management, of which one indication is the fact that the company recently expanded its fleet with the aforementioned AC 4.100L-1 and AC 6.300-1.
Katharina Degenhardt’s decision to go for the AC 6.300-1 with her first crane order should come as no surprise: “The crane is a remarkably well-engineered and reliable machine that delivers excellent lifting capacities in comparison to the competition, not to mention incredible versatility. It can travel on public roads under the legal 12-tonne axle load limit with its hook block and full carrier box, which cuts an incredible amount of red tape,” she explains. In addition, the crane is more than powerful enough for many jobs with a partial counterweight only – as it successfully demonstrated at its debut at the University Hospital Heidelberg’s premises: Configured as a 250-tonne unit with its hook block, it easily lifted a five-tonne sculpture at a radius of more than 40 meters out from an inner courtyard.
Its compact design with a length of 17.32 meters and a width of only three meters was particularly useful during the assignment, and together with the supremely beneficial Surround View Camera has made it Weiland’s crane of choice for tight work sites and industrial and chemical sector facilities. There is also another compelling argument for the AC 6.300-1 in the form of the standard Tadano IC‑1 Plus control system, which Weiland crane operators are widely familiar with due to the fact that the brand has an extremely strong presence in the company’s fleet. This, of course, makes the new AC 4.100L-1 a great addition to the Weiland fleet as well: For Sebastian Degenhardt, its strong lifting capacity in combination with the 59.4-meter-long main boom, while adhering to the 12-tonne axle load limit, makes it one of the most flexible cranes ever.Moreover, its compact dimensions make it perfect for jobs in indoor settings and in urban areas where tight space conditions prevail – after all, it has the smallest overall width out of all the cranes in its class, coming in at a mere 2.55 meters.