Pietermaritzburg, South Africa-based Schoeman Crane Hire has significantly reduced its operating costs while enhancing service efficiency after adding the new Grove GMK4100L-2 to its fleet.
This four-axle, all-terrain crane has replaced the company’s previous 100-tonne, five-axle model, offering a more compact design with a longer boom, providing an extra 10 metres of reach.
The GMK4100L-2, known for its strong load charts, simplifies various lifting tasks, including ducting, milling machines, structural steel, and concrete bridge beams. “Bridge beam lifts are generally 8 tonnes at an 18-metre radius, which the GMK4100L-2 will handle with a smile when working with 26 tonnes of counterweight,” said Ernst Veldsman, Director at Schoeman Crane Hire. “Another common pick is the lifting of a 10-tonne recuperator at a 12-metre radius inside a factory, which we can easily manage with 5.6 tonnes of counterweight.”
The crane’s design also helps reduce transport permit costs. “Having one less axle than our previous crane means lower permit costs,” Veldsman added.
Equipped with a single-engine design, the GMK4100L-2 cuts scheduled engine maintenance in half, offering quicker service times. Its 320 kW Mercedes-Benz engine features an ECO mode, making it the most fuel-efficient in its class—a crucial advantage amid rising diesel prices in South Africa.
Schoeman Crane Hire also values the crane’s spacious cabins and the MEGATRAK® independent suspension system, which maintains maximum tyre traction even on poor ground conditions.
“Another key reason for selecting the new Grove model was our familiarity with all-terrain cranes and their Crane Control System (CCS),” Veldsman noted. “We’re trying to standardise our cranes, which will help our technicians and improve our relationship with our local dealer, CLT.”
The GMK4100L-2 is already booked for major projects in 2025, including the N3 Durban to Johannesburg highway upgrade and the Willowton Oil and Cake Factory project. It joins the GMK5150L and several other Grove cranes in Schoeman Crane Hire’s fleet.
The crane has proven its versatility in South Africa’s agricultural and industrial sectors, contributing to projects like United Co-op’s sugar mill, Ilovo Sugar Mill upgrades in Noodsberg, Storey’s Dairy, sawmills, seed plants, and even the Port of Durban, where it assisted in assembling a crawler crane.