Liebherr MK 88 - Manual (Page 4)

In Aktion
Kranmagazin KM Nr. 83 | 2012
tion is done conveniently
with the steering drop arm –
the driver must still engage
the clutch and change gears
manually.
It was especially the hill
climbs that brought to light
what the manufacturer has
always said about its AS
Tronic transmission: Namely,
that it changes gear so quickly
and accurately that even an
experienced driver can’t keep
up with it.
In any case, during our
test drive the MK 88 was well
ahead of the MK 80 on the
hills, which was only partly
due to the different engines.
“Actually, I don’t interfere
in the AS Tronic automatic
transmission,” says Martin
Hartmann, “it changes gear
so smoothly that this is gen-
erally not necessary”. Even
Felix Bildstein, who initially
drove the MK 80 during our
test drive, had a lot of praise
for the automatic transmis-
sion after changing over to
the MK 88: “Although I don’t
have any problems at all with
changing gears in the MK 80,
I must say that driving in the
MK 88 is, of course, much
more relaxing due to the AS
Tronic.”
The 5-stage Telma eddy
current brake in the MK 88
also helps relax the driver,
while the MK 80 only has a
single-stage engine brake. It
may sound paradoxical, but
true to the motto ‘the one
with the better brakes gets to
the bottom faster’, the MK 88
was also ahead when it came
to downhill driving.
“By the way, the MK 88 al-
so has marvellous directional
stability,” adds Martin Hart-
mann. “Sometimes we also
have to drive long distances –
and, for example, the MK 88
Thanks to its five electronic travel modes,
the MK 88 enables driving comfort at the press
of a button.
is very pleasant to drive on
the motorway. You simply en-
gage cruise control and arrive
at the job feeling relaxed.”
However, what both driv-
ers had to get used to in their
“MK 88 career” was the active
rear axle steering that works
up to a speed of 30 km/h.
“You really have to consider
that when you’re driving. The
rear of the MK 88 does actu-
ally swing out more and you
have a 4-m overhang to the
last axle,” explains Felix Bild-
stein.
But for that, thanks to its
five electronic travel modes,
the MK 88 enables natural
driving comfort at the press
of a button. Apart from “Road
travel”, the other modes are
View from the personnel lifting cage.
Rope vs. rod: Rope wins.