I've only been around the truck crane link belts. 8670 and 8690. 70 was a decent machine with 60 series detroit. Good chart. The 90 had a regen system cat and it was a thirsty engine, and would never regen right. They still have troubles with its regen system (I ran it 5 years ago, its a 2002 or 03) . Upper seemed fine, but the hydraulics always ran hot on the 90 also (still do) so its not a great high cycle machine.
The link belt first all terrains was a joint venture with faun. Faun carrier, some link belt upper, I don't know who made the booms, maybe tadano. (tadano and faun were also joint venturing some stuff at the time). Link belt abandoned that effort, and are now making their own version, with their own carriers. I'd be a little upset if I bought one of the joint venture machines, their value today has dropped because they're orphans.
And it worries you that if sumitomo industries (who owns link belt) decides the profit margins or numbers aren't good enough, they will drop their own line of all terrains too. Its such a small market (they aren't selling thousands a year) and just the engineering and r&d costs have to be huge. And whatever they power it with today, two years from now that motor/ trans combination isn't available, or requires a whole new computer control system. That's where the big costs are, because a lot of the parts they don't make themselves. Engine, trans, suspension and axles are all outside sourced and that gets to be big $ when the epa changes emission requirements, or the particular trans they were using isn't available. In dropping the joint line, it makes a lot of buyers wary of buying the link belt designed cranes, because in 5 years when you want to trade in/ sell it for a new one, it may not be worth near what a demag/ liebherr/ grove might be.
