Crisp Bros. & Haywards Pty Ltd. recently added a brand new Grove GMK6300L-1 to its mobile crane fleet. Haywards Construction Manager, Ken Cox explains why the business continues to invest in Grove cranes.
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Crisp Bros. & Haywards Pty. Ltd is a Tasmanian based steel fabrication and construction company which in 2023 proudly boasted a workforce of approximately 300 people, all based locally.
Despite several ownership changes, the Haywards business has a deep sense of history, having operated continuously since 1833 when John Williams established a small iron foundry in Launceston, which would become Johns Perry Casting. In recent history, it is most recognised as Johns Perry and Boral Johns Perry Hayward.
“Crisp Bros. & Haywards merged in 1995 and we have continued to grow since then. It was Johns Perry Hayward prior to that. We are not really a crane hire company and we mainly use our cranes to service our own business, including our workshop where we install the products they fabricate. Over the years we have continued to upgrade the capabilities of our fleet which has now grown to 18 mobile cranes,” said Ken.
The capacities of the mobile crane fleet start with a 2.4t Jekko mini crawler and range right up to the new 300t capacity Grove. Included in the fleet are six Grove all terrains. The capacities of the Grove start at 55t and include a 60t, 130t, 150t, 250t and the new 300t. With skilled site teams, the capabilities of the fleet help position Haywards as a ‘one stop shop’ for any steel project.
The latest addition to the fleet, the Grove GMK6300-1, arrived just before Christmas 2023.
The Grove GMK6300L-1 is the definition of a 300t mobile crane. It continues the success story of the GMK6300L and offers even better lifting capacities on the long boom. The driveline with the 430 kW Euromot 5/Tier 4 final Mercedes engine and Allison fully automatic transmission makes for a powerful and reliable crane. The GMK6300L-1 has interchangeable slabs that can be also used for the GMK5180-1, GMK5200-1, GMK 5250-1 and the GMK5250XL-1.
The Grove GMK6300L-1 features an 80m seven section boom and optional extension up to 37 m for a max tip height of 120 m. At a maximum tip height of 120m the crane is still capable of lifting 2.1t. Flexibility and logistics are further enhanced thanks to an interchangeable self-rigging auxiliary hoist and a flexible counterweight.
The Grove GM6300L-1 is supported by GROVE CONNECT, the digital platform which enables remote monitoring through an app-based system that gives owners and technicians the ability to view real-time crane information, receive alerts and exchange data.
The versatile GROVE CONNECT 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.
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Ken goes on to explain what he and his teams like about Grove all terrains.
“Personally, I like the Groves because they’re a good all around machine, they are easy to operate and they’re versatile. But the number one factor for continuing to buy Groves is the service and support we receive. Neil Hollingshead, Sales Director, Mobile Cranes Manitowoc Cranes Australia, is very good with his communication and always delivers on what he promises, and we work very closely with Danny Hall, our local Grove Service Technician.
“Danny is based in Carrick, which is only 15 minutes away, and it’s so reassuring to have an experienced service technician in the state that’s only a phone call away. If we have any issue with the cranes, nine times out of 10 Danny will be within the hour. The performance of the Groves and the local support are the main reasons why we have continued to purchase the brand,” said Ken.
The Grove GMK6300L-1 mobile crane arrived just before Christmas and was quickly deployed to install the second stage of the University of Tasmania’s pedestrian bridge in the heart of Launceston.
The pedestrian bridge is a shared pedestrian and cyclist pathway traversing the North Esk River and is a simple and low linear form that sweeps over the river. The external materiality of the horizontal portion of the bridge is steel supported on tapered concrete piers. Steel cladding encases the bridge deck and structure providing a streamlined continuous casing.
The UTAS Bridge Project involved a pedestrian bridge fabricated, painted by Crisp Bros. & Haywards and installed with the Grove GMK6300L-1. The lifts included two girders at 15t and two at 12t at a max of radius 37m.
“We were impressed with the performance of the GMK6300L-1 on this project. The operator said it was excellent to operate and a very smooth machine through the lifts,” said Ken. “There is a significant amount of investment in Tasmania’s infrastructure sector and with the GMK6300L-1 we are ideally positioned to service the expected demand for larger capacity cranes. We are already planning for a couple of reasonably sized projects in April and May so it looks as though this crane is going to be busy.”