Southern Cranes & Access has become the first Manitowoc customer in the UK to receive a new Grove GMK5250XL-1.
Manitowoc announced the debut of the new five-axle all-terrain crane at bauma 2019 and its arrival on the UK crane hire market has been hotly anticipated.
At 78.5 m, the GMK5250XL-1 has the longest main boom in its class, while maintaining the 250 t capacity, small footprint and easy maneuverability of the GMK5250L-1 model. The GMK5250XL-1 belonging to Southern Cranes & Access has a 17.8 m bi-fold swingaway extension that can be lengthened to 33.8 m with additional inserts so that it reaches heights of up to 109 m. This makes the GMK5250XL-1 perfect for assembling tower cranes. It can also lift up to 9.9 t within a radius of 22 m.
Other features on the GMK5250XL-1 include the company’s MAXbase variable outrigger set-up, MEGATRAK suspension with all-wheel steering and TWIN-LOCK boom pinning system.
“We already own two GMK5250L models, which have been very popular for erecting and dismantling tower cranes, so as soon as the GMK5250XL-1 was announced, it was a no-brainer for us to add it to our fleet,” said Kelvin Prince, director of Southern Cranes & Access. “The proof is in the pudding. Since this is our third 250-ton machine, Grove must be doing something right. As far as we are concerned, it’s the best of its class. We have full confidence in the crane and how to run it – and that 8.5 m of extra boom makes a big difference to the range of jobs it can complete. I can see this being a very busy crane,” he added.
And busy it has been. The new GMK5250XL-1 has barely spent any time in the Southern Cranes & Access yard so far, having been hired out continuously since its delivery. The crane’s first job was to disassemble a Potain MCT88 tower crane in Bristol.
The perfect all-rounder
“The beauty of the GMK5250L and GMK5250XL-1 is that you can confidently put them on a smaller job site – and job sites are getting more and more confined these days. So if it’s not needed for a big job, we can get more use out of it by deploying it for smaller jobs too,” Prince explained.
Southern Cranes & Access has been a Manitowoc customer for many years and offers several Grove models in its 50-strong fleet of cranes, including one GMK3055, one GMK4080 and four GMK3060 models.
“Manitowoc always offers a strong product and is very good with service. I have a lot of time for the service team at Manitowoc UK. If I have an issue, I can pick up the phone and get it sorted right away,” he said.
Family-run Southern Cranes & Access was founded in 1997 and supplies a range of mobile crane hire, contract lifting and powered access solutions in the UK; in Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, as well as London and the surrounding areas. The company has vast industry experience at every level of the business, and its loyal customers count on the safe and reliable service it provides every time.
