The stand-out feature of this machine is the Pactronic hydraulics system first seen on Liebherr Nenzing’s harbour cranes but not previously in the construction sector.

A large cylinder running along the side of the carbody is an hydraulic accumulator that collects hydraulic power every time the load is lowered – although you can't see it in the photo above; it's on the other side. Surplus energy is stored and subsequently regenerated, thus increasing the material handling capacity while at the same time reducing fuel consumption.

The first HS 8300 HD has been working for the past few months in dragline operations at a gravel pit near Ingolstadt in Bavaria and, by all accounts, proving its efficacy. The quarrying company Wanner & Märker has it on loan to try it out.

The HS 8300 HD is the world’s largest duty-cycle crawler crane. It is fitted with hydraulic free-fall winches offering approximately 50 tonnes of line pull.  With the Pactornic system, the 725kW diesel engine achieves a hoisting power of 800kW and a system power comparable to a conventional drive system with 1250kW, Liebherr says.

The unit working in Bavaria is operating with a 44 metre long main boom (maximum for this model is 68 metres) and a dragline bucket made by Rädlinger. The digging depth is approximately 26 metres, the unloading height about 15 metres.

During the development of the HS 8300 HD, the Liebherr engineers paid special attention to maximising its service life by reinforcing critical points with extra high-quality materials such as carbon fibre.

Liebherr tells me that it expects to announce a first outright sale of this model within the coming weeks.