Schmidbauer Group has added two Grove all-terrain units to its existing fleet of 250 mobile cranes.
After taking delivery of a 300t capacity GMK6300L and a 100t capacity GMK4100L in late 2013, Germany’s largest crane operator put both of its new cranes to work.
“Grove not only makes strong cranes with very long booms, but they innovate to save weight, making their cranes easier to transport all over Germany,” said the rental firm’s CEO Werner Schmidbauer. “Our two new cranes feature aluminium wheels, which mean we can travel to job sites with more equipment and counterweight, saving time and hassle. They will make a great addition to our fleet.”
Manitowoc-owned Grove offers significant weight reductions to customers by providing aluminium wheels as standard. A six-axle GMK6300L fitted with aluminium wheels, for example, weighs approximately 600kg less than it would if it had conventional wheels. Such weight savings are particularly useful in Europe, where strict regulations apply.
“Road laws are getting stricter in Germany, so our customers want lighter cranes that don’t compromise capacity,” explained Manitowoc’s regional sales manager Dieter Popp. “Our weight-saving wheels give our Grove cranes a distinct advantage in the market.”
Schmidbauer’s new all-terrain cranes were put to work immediately. The GMK4100L was dispatched to a paper mill in Plattling, where its 60m-long boom and 6.3t counterweight were used to remove an antenna from a silo.
The German crane operator says that it selected the models because of Grove’s ability produce lightweight units with high reaches and capacities.