Fleet Evolution By Shelly Gayring
Phoenix Rising
Liebherr LTM 1350-6.1— Phoenix Crane Service’ s largest all-terrain crane.
A Fleet Transformation Under New Leadership
Phoenix Crane Service was founded in 1982 as a crane rental provider. The company has navigated through changing industry landscapes, technological advancements and evolving market demands. Today, with a progressive approach, a modernized fleet and new president, Mike Knott, the company strives to be a leader in the crane and rigging sector, servicing Atlanta and surrounding areas.
A Journey of Fleet Evolution
In 2019,( then) Director of Operations Knott’ s role included designing and managing a fleet for the future. At that time, the fleet was a mix of aged equipment and newer cranes with aged designs. With a vision when it came to equipment choices— one focused on innovation, productivity and safety— Phoenix Crane started a journey of evolution.
Since then, the company has undergone a significant fleet overhaul, moving from mere replacement to expansion. Promoted in early 2024 to president, Knott continues the company’ s mission to expand and enhance its offerings.
“ Our fleet evolution reflects our dedication to providing the best solutions for our customers and staying ahead of market trends,” Knott said.“ Each new addition is carefully selected based on criteria such as performance, reliability and the ability to meet specific project requirements.”
The company continues to grow with 60 active cranes currently in its fleet.
This year, it reentered the crawler crane market by adding its largest crawler to date, the Liebherr LR1300.1 SX, with maximum load capacity of 331 U. S. tons, max hoist height at 644 feet and max radius of 469 feet
Liebherr LR 1300.1 SX— Phoenix Crane Service’ s largest crawler crane.
– a showstopper for any fleet. The Liebherr LR series is designed with a self-assembly and self-loading system and is easy to transport and assemble, while the LR1300.1SX is the newest generation LR1300 and packed with innovation from cabin design to safety features.
A week prior to the onboarding of the LR1300, a Link-Belt 298 Series II was brought in to assist Phoenix Crane’ s steel division. The Link-Belt 298 Series II with a max load capacity of 250 tons offers versatile boom configuration perfect for heavy lifting with added safety features.
The third crawler added this year was the Liebherr LR 1250 which offers a max load capacity of 275 tons and is an excellent option
14 CRANE HOT LINE ® October 2024 • www. cranehotline. com