Bennetts has put into action the first Raimondi LR330 heavy lifting capacity tower crane at a site in London. The LR330 is on a construction site in the Royal Borough of Kensington in London, and will be joined later this year and in 2019 by another LR330 and two Raimondi LRH174s. The initial LR330 is the first one to have been manufactured worldwide and it was delivered to Bennetts, the UK’s exclusive Raimondi dealer, earlier this year.

The LR330 is an 18-tonne capacity luffing jib tower crane with a triangular jib design. The new jib profile reduces storage transport dimensions and offers a shorter out-of-service radius to avoid any oversailing issues of nearby properties. At the maximum radius, it can lift 3300kg in ultra-lift mode. Seven different jib length configurations, from 30 metres to 60 metres, satisfy all needs in terms of specific jobsite configurations. The LR330 can be equipped with three different hoisting winches: standard installed power of 86kW or the two falls configuration with the more powerful 110kW.

Edward Seager, Managing Director of Bennetts Cranes, said: “We believe the LR330 is going to become a very useful crane within our fleet with such a large lifting capacity. With the trend toward pre-cast concrete and pods being built off-site, heavier lifting capacities are essential to take the weight. “We’re extremely pleased to be putting the new Raimondi into service this year. This and several other new Raimondi luffers are all part of our planned fleet expansion and modernisation.”

Earlier this month Bennetts erected the LR330 at their testing facility in Gloucestershire for pre-site checks and training before being delivered to site. It will be joined by a second LR330 and two LRH174s – Raimondi’s first hydraulic luffer released this year on a development of high-end apartments, not far from Buckingham Palace. The LR330s will be erected with a 50m jib, one with a 48m mast and the second with a 54m mast. They will both be lifting 4.62 tonne at end of jib after 25% de-rate, with an out of service radius of 19m.

The two LRH174s will have a 35m jib, 35.7m mast and will lift 5.17 tonne at end of jib, with an out of service radius of 11m. All of the cranes will be fitted with BlokCam systems, with a camera on the hook of the crane sending live images back to the operator in the cab. These systems improve on-site safety by reducing operator blind spots and allowing a better all-round view of the site from the cab.

Related: Irish Cranes installs six Raimondi tower cranes on two mixed use developments in Dublin