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With operations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Davo’s Crane Hire was originally founded by Paul Davis and his late wife Robyn in 2001. They started the business with the purchase of their first crane, an eight tonne capacity bubble crane which set the platform for where the company is today. Davo’s Crane Hire has always maintained a great family and professional culture with its ever-growing crew, ensuring no employee is treated as a number within the company.
Proud to work in a family-owned and operated business, Paul’s son Matt has taken over the running of the business for some time and they are constantly advising each other and making decisions daily as a father and son team. The company has been growing at a sustainable and manageable rate that will ensure a long-foreseen future in the industry for both them and their team.
Matt discusses Davo’s Crane Hire fleet and his experience with the Grove brand.
“We currently are running a mixed fleet of brands which includes our Grove GMK 3060L and the new GMK 4080L. We currently operate 13 cranes which are constantly working daily, and at times 24/7 when night works are required. Our capacities range from 13t through to the new Grove GMK 4080L with a capacity of 80t. We also operate a fleet of support vehicles,” he said.
Davo’s Crane Hire purchased the 60t capacity Grove GMK 3060L-1 a couple of years ago and everyone has been pleased with its performance, says Matt.
“The Grove GMK 3060L has proved to be a valuable asset in our fleet. The crane has lived up to all expectations that were outlined at the time it was purchased. The GMK 3060L has been averaging 2,000- 2,500 hours per year which has exceeded our expectations. The ability to utilise the MAXbase feature has reduced running costs negating the need for counterweight trucks, while still being able to complete the work,” he said.
“We are extremely pleased with the crane and as a result of its performance, the return on investment has been excellent. Our operators like the crane because the CCS system in these later model Groves is extremely user friendly and very simple to navigate. The performance and utilisation of the GMK 3060L has most definitely been the motivating factor in the purchase of the GMK4080L,” said Matt.
The 80t capacity GMK 4080L offers the strongest load charts and the longest boom in its class at 60m. At its full 60m length, the crane is able to lift an impressive 4.4 tonnes, while at 49m it will be capable of picking loads of up to 8.3t. When working at its maximum radius of 46m, the GMK4080L will lift 1t.
Up to 78m of maximum tip height is available when the 60m main boom is paired with its 15m swingaway jib option. These are capabilities more commonly associated with 100t cranes and allow the new model to take on jobs that would typically require larger cranes.
Offering unmatched versatility, the Grove GMK 4080L will give owners a host of options for travel. In situations requiring 12t per axle, it will carry up to 13.3t of counterweight, while at 45.8t for NSW Level 4 GVM, it will be able to travel with 11t of counterweight and for 10t per axle configurations it will be able to travel with 5.3t of counterweight.
The new high-visibility carrier cab offers the best levels of protection in line with European ECE R29-3 regulations, ensuring exceptional security in frontal impact, roof and rear wall strength. Power for both the carrier and the superstructure will come from a single 320 kW (430 hp) Mercedes Benz OM470LA 6-cylinder diesel engine. Compliant with Euromot 5/Tier 4 Final requirements, this clean, efficient engine is approved for use with HVO Diesel, for customers looking to further reduce their CO2 emissions or meet tight environmental jobsite requirements. The engine’s ECO mode can be used in conjunction with the transmission’s Fuel Saver mode, for unbeatable fuel efficiency.
Technology and Automaton to the fore
The Grove GMK 4080L offers the exciting Grove CONNECT digital platform that provides owners with real-time access to fleet data. Through Grove CONNECT, fleet managers can get instant insights into the crane’s performance with just a couple of taps on a screen. Service technicians are supported with remote, optimised troubleshooting, reducing the frequency of onsite trips and strengthening preventative maintenance programs.
The digital platform enables remote monitoring through an app-based system providing owners and operators with the ability to view real-time crane information.
The versatile platform advances fleet management, boosts sustainability, streamlines service and maintenance for users and improves connectivity to cranes with the easy-to-use platform working across smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
The MAXbase feature helps users reduce setup time at the jobsite and give them a wider choice of outrigger positions. With this option, the crane becomes an ideal choice for confined spaces or projects where obstacles are preventing setup in the preferred location. The productivity enhancing MAXbase allows the crane’s outriggers to be easily extended to a range of symmetric and asymmetric positions. This maximises flexibility and enables lifting work to continue in less-than-ideal environments.
Also making life easier for the operator is Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS), which supports both setup and lifting. The CCS (Crane Control System) can be reached comfortably from a seated position and has been ergonomically integrated into the cab.
The intuitive interface makes the operator’s job much easier as the most frequently used settings, such as chassis level and axle locking, can be selected via the CCS. Different drive modes can also be chosen via the CCS screen. As all CCS displays offer the same layout and navigation throughout the GMK model range, it is easy for operators to switch from one Grove all-terrain crane to another.
Using its Boom Configurator feature, the operator can select the optimal arrangement of the seven-section MEGAFORM boom with TWIN-LOCK dual-pinning system.
“We can see that the GMK4080L is an extremely versatile four axle machine with 60m of boom. It has the smallest outrigger spread of 6.6m x 6.2m in its class which will enable it to fit and lift on the tightest of sites. It carries 13t of counterweight on the crane which means we are only having to carry 6t on a support vehicle (12t per axle). It features the same CCS operating system as the 3060L making it a great for taxi crane for our type of work,” said Matt.
Under Matt’s guidance, the utilisation of family values within the business are most important and sons Bodhi (4yrs old) and Arlo (1.5 years old) visit the yard weekly, just to check on what Dad and Pop are doing and to lend a hand. These key family values are also applied daily to the crew within Davo’s Crane Hire.
“We provide crane, transport and traffic control solutions for all types of industries. From commercial high rise projects, infrastructure work, residential house builds, machinery moves, a dragline boom or through to simply lifting a lounge suite to a balcony, Davo’s Crane Hire will provide a solution for all lifting requirements within our capabilities,” he said.
“When lifts are outside our capabilities, Davo’s Crane Hire can call in back up. We are extremely grateful to have relationships with other local crane companies who are always willing to help and work together to achieve a suitable solution for our customers,” said Matt.
“Our staff are our number one asset. Everyone in the industry knows how chaotic it is to navigate the daily allocations, servicing and accommodating 40+ staff. Adam has been our Operations Manager for the past eight years now.
His consistent dedication and ability to problem-solve on the fly is a key contributor to the growth of Davo’s Crane Hire over the past years.
“We work hard to maintain a high retention of staff, and this has a lot to do with the culture of the crew. The whole team at Davo’s Crane Hire is prepared to go ‘above and beyond’ on a daily basis for our customers.
The smooth operations of Davo’s Crane Hire begin with our Operations Manager, Supervisors and office staff and this level of professionalism is filtered down the line to our remarkable crane crew,” he said.
“We have always built and maintained a consistent market for all our cranes, and I have no doubt that this new purchase will be the same. The Grove GMK4080L is a versatile crane that will complement and increase our company’s ability to undertake the most challenging of jobs,” said Matt.
