A Liebherr LTM 1250-5.1 mobile crane has been used to dismantle the large scaffolding structure surrounding the free-standing bell tower of the Basilica of Saint-Michel in Bordeaux, France, following the completion of a five-year restoration project.
The 114-metre tower, one of the tallest church towers in southern France, had been covered by an extensive steel scaffolding system to support restoration works on its intricate spire. Once the renovation was completed, French industrial services company Groupe Foselev deployed its new five-axle Liebherr crane to remove the upper sections of the structure.
Equipped with a 60-metre telescopic boom, a luffing jib and a 22-metre hydraulically adjustable double folding jib, the crane achieved a hook height of 81 metres. In this configuration, it was able to lift scaffolding elements weighing more than four tonnes and reach distances of up to 24 metres.
The complex steel structure surrounded the stone tower with a diameter of about 25 metres and reached heights close to the crane’s working range. Thanks to its high load capacity and precise control, the LTM 1250-5.1 was able to operate from just two positions to dismantle the structure section by section.
The operation required careful handling to move loads past newly restored architectural details, including delicate finials and small side turrets. Scaffolders working at height attached the elements to the crane hook before they were lifted and carefully manoeuvred away from the structure.
Crane operator David, who was using a Liebherr crane for the first time, praised the machine’s performance. “Switching to Liebherr is a bit like switching from a Renault to a Mercedes,” he said.
According to Joël Karotsch, head of Foselev’s Sud Ouest branch in Bordeaux, the crane proved ideally suited for the task, particularly due to its hydraulic jib. The Foselev Group operates more than 500 cranes, around a third of which are Liebherr models.
