Compact size, powerful lifting ability and a long 48m main boom are the DNA of the Grove GMK 3060L-1, the stand-out model in the new Grove three axle range.
Neil Hollingshead, sales director – Mobile Cranes for Manitowoc explains why the three axle model has been so popular and what makes the GMK 3060L-1 a game changer.
“To sum up the Grove three axle series is fairly straight forward, it is really compact, very powerful with plenty of reach. The GMK 3060L-1 has been the stand-out in the series because it ticks so many boxes for our market. The compactness of the crane coupled with the 48m of main boom hits the ‘sweet spot’ for many crane hire businesses particularly those operating in and around major cities,” said Hollingshead.
The series includes two 60 tonners, the GMK 3060L-1 and GMK 3060-2 and the GMK 3050-3 which has a 50t capacity. The GMK 3060L-1 has 48m of main boom and 15m of hydraulic luffing fly jib while the other two models have 40m of main boom.
“We can see the configuration of the GMK 3060L-1 working well locally. The GMK 3060L has been on the market for approximately 12 months and has been extremely popular as the Australian market really goes for the longer boom, there is a high demand for the longer boom on these smaller cranes. Australia loves the long boom,” said Hollingshead.
“The main feature with the machine is the extreme compactness, it is only slightly longer than a two axle crane in the carrier. If you have a two axle 40 tonner, the Grove three axle cranes are only 40cms longer in the carrier. This makes it extremely compact and it can get in anywhere. It also has an extremely small tail swing for tight work sites.
“The GMK 3060L-1 is also an excellent taxi crane. You can carry 6.5t of counterweight plus the swing away, which means you can send the crane out without an additional counterweight truck. You can also send it out for 40t to 50t work without the extra counterweight. It really covers the work that the old truck cranes were designed to do.
“The Grove three axle family has always been known for its compactness and by adding the longer boom to this it completes the process and has produced a game changer as far as we are concerned. It was already the most compact crane available in this class but having the longer boom makes a massive difference. And because the boom contains an extra section it isn’t any longer in terms of road configuration, it’s actually shorter because the base boom length is less even though the total boom length is longer. The longer boom has only enhanced and improved the compactness of the crane,” said Hollingshead.
Hollingshead explains why 48m of boom is so popular with the Australian market.
“You can complete a lot of work with the longer boom without having to use the fly. Basically, if you are not buying a pick and carry this is the first class of crane you are buying, it is one of the most popular classes for all terrains. Every fleet features a 50t or 60t capacity three axle crane. Grove has always done well in this class but having the longer boom has really catapulted us into the market and we believe our product is really competitive to anything in the same class,” he said.
Gold Coast based Davo’s Crane Hire took delivery of Grove GMK 3060L-1 in October of last year.
Matt Davis, the general manager at Davo’s Cranes explains a bit about his business, the reasons behind the purchase of the crane and how pleased they have been with it’s performance.
“My father Paul started the business 20 years ago and we are a proud family owned and operated business today. We operate 14 cranes and four trucks with the fleet capacities ranging from 12t to 100t. We employ approximately 30 staff and we service the Gold Coast with clients in commercial, civil and residential construction,” said Davis.
The majority of the Davo’s Crane Hire fleet are Demags, but they have been operating an 80t Grove for some time says Davis.
“The 80t Grove has been a great machine for us and it’s performance was one of the main reasons we looked at the 60t Grove, the GMK 3060-L. When we first heard about the crane, we were really interested in the sheer size of it and the versatility it was going to give us.
“The compact nature of the crane with the long 48m boom made it really interesting to us. We took delivery of the crane in October last year and its performance has been fantastic. The crane’s power with the new Cummins motor is seriously impressive and the MAXbase feature is fantastic. We upgraded to the luffing fly which will make the machine more versatile for our type of work,” said Davis.
“The big selling point for us is it’s a good meter shorter than any other 60 tonner on the market at the moment. It’s about a meter shorter in carrier length and that makes a big difference when you are operating on tight sites where space is a premium, as we are doing day in and day out. The pre-delivery from Manitowoc was also second to none,” he said.
The new GMK3060L features significantly stronger load charts. It is available in both Euromot III/Tier 3 and Euromot V/Tier 4 Final engine emission standards.
The new GMK3060L offers the strongest taxi load charts in its class and features the most compact dimensions in the three-axle segment, enabling it to access tight job sites, manoeuvre easily around city centres, and even work indoors.
The chassis is almost as compact as a two-axle model and up to 1 m shorter than competitive three-axle cranes, with a carrier length of only 8.68 m and a minimum overall height of 3.48 m with the suspension fully lowered.
The new model features a longer, 48 m seven-section TWIN-LOCK hydraulic pinned main boom and boasts significantly stronger load charts.
It features Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS), as well as a boom configurator feature. This enables operators to input basic lift parameters, such as load, radius and load height, and the system automatically provides optimal boom options for performing the lift. This saves time at the job site and makes the setup process much easier. Like all GMK cranes with CCS, the GMK3060L also features the MAXbase option for variable outrigger settings and increase load charts in certain working ranges.
The GMK3060L is powered by a Cummins QSL9, a 254 kW (340 hp) six-cylinder in-line diesel engine for reduced fuel consumption. The QSL9 combines high strength with a compact footprint for one of the best power-to-weight ratios in its class. The crane includes a ZF TraXon automatic transmission, giving it 12 forward-speed options and two reverse.
Getting to a jobsite is now even more comfortable with the GMK3050-3, GMK3060-2 and GMK3060L-1. Further GMK models will receive the cab2020 and a fresh new look over the coming months.
The new models featuring the redesigned cabs will be arriving during the second quarter of this year.
Designed with customer needs in mind and a focus on the latest crash-test requirements in Europe, Grove three-axle all-terrain cranes now feature a spacious new carrier cab, known as cab2020.
With the introduction of Manitowoc’s new carrier cabin, cab2020, Grove sets new standards in comfort and ergonomics for crane operators. In addition, the new cab2020 is not only the benchmark in design but also meets the latest crash-test requirements in Europe and is ECE R29-3 approved. The new cab2020 is now available on all Grove three-axle all-terrain cranes, the GMK3050-3, GMK3060-2 and GMK3060L-1.