Matthews Brothers Dredging LLC has been deploying a Liebherr duty cycle crawler crane type HS 8300.1 for bucket dredging along the United States Gulf Coast for four years. With a winch capacity of 500 kN and high winch speeds of up to 125 m/min, the fast-working cycles of this machine make it ideal for this type of work.
So far, the machine has clocked more than 20,000 operating hours in this very demanding field.
"The recommendation for an overhaul is usually a combination of both the lifetime of the machine and the application, so a heavy application will require an earlier overhaul," said Bertrand Meiss, field engineering manager of Liebherr USA Co in Houston, Texas.
In February 2025, Liebherr carried out a detailed inspection of the HS 8300.1. Based on the maintenance record during the service life of the machine to date and projections for the coming years, Liebherr compiled targeted overhaul packages including recommendations for upgrades and technical improvements. This meant that only appropriate work is carried out and unnecessary costs are avoided.
Overhaul in Original Manufacturer Quality
Liebherr Transform provides bespoke solutions ranging from ingenious upgrades and retrofits up to complete overhauls to maintain high performance and include technical progress in existing machines. Using the latest technology and years of experience, Liebherr brings a combination of conservation of resources and cost-effectiveness in one complete solution available for deep foundation and duty cycle machines as well as crawler cranes up to 440 tons.
The work on the HS 8300.1 was precisely planned — from consultation, through to installation and technical support. With one single planned investment, unexpected downtimes in the future can be avoided.
"We had to take it out of service for a little while, but we see the upside of getting it overhauled for the long run to better serve our clients with minimal downtime," said Chad Epperson, vice president of operations of Matthews Brothers Dredging LLC.
Liebherr's incorporated repair and maintenance workshop in Houston meant all work could be carried out locally so avoiding long travel distances. All hydraulic components and hoses as well as the electrics were replaced and machine upgrades implemented by Liebherr on new machines over the past five years, for example, improved boom lighting, additional safety features such as boom walkways and additions to the central lubrication system for more efficient maintenance, were included in consultation with the customer. After approximately 12 weeks of transformation, the HS 8300.1 duty cycle crawler crane was reassembled on the dredging barge — all ready for the next 20,000 hours of operation.
A tight network of sales and service offices as well as workshops throughout the world carry out Transform projects so making Liebherr machines fit for the future without the expense of a new machine and, at the same time, making an important contribution to the conservation of resources.
For more information, visit liebherr.com/en-de/deep-foundation/deep-foundation-3833477.
This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.
