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 Seth Besecker, Dave Hull, Manitowoc Cranes; Steve McReynolds, Shaun Manos, Manager, H&E Equipment Services; Trevor McReynolds, Cary Burr, Don Romaine, Logan Delcambre, Mark Hooper. Background: A Grove GRT8120 rough-terrain crane.
- To meet evolving customer demand, 10 of the 11 new cranes cover the 100-120 t lifting range, replacing the popular 90 t RT890 that was a mainstay of the Groves business.
- Enhancements to the quality and performance of the GRT range have impressed customers and quickly secured long-term rental contracts.
- A loyal Grove customer since the 1970s, Groves habitually updates its line-up to ensure it has the edge over the competition.
You don’t get to clock up over 65 years of successfully renting machinery to the oil refineries, chemical plants and heavy construction industry of the Gulf Coast without displaying a firm commitment to reliability — and that’s precisely why Groves Equipment Rental has recently ordered 11 brand new Grove GRT cranes.
By replacing its smaller, decade-old range of Grove RT540 to RT890 rough-terrain models with five GRT8100s, five GRT8120s and one GRT655, the Texan company is maintaining its long-held tradition of continually upgrading its machines in order to provide one of the most up-to-date rental fleets in the industry. Additionally, this upsizing was carried out in response to changes in customer demand and the increase in market confidence ahead of the anticipated upturn in infrastructure projects and energy sector work in 2022.
“The 90-100 t rough terrains have become a mainstay of our fleet — they’re a popular size with our customers, many of whom build or do maintenance work for petrochemical facilities,” explained Steve McReynolds, president of the company founded by his grandfather in 1955. “We’ve had at least 25 Grove RT890s in our fleet over the years, and the GRT8100 is a significant evolution of that model. Our customers especially like the new Crane Control System (CCS) — it’s very user-friendly and a lot easier for diagnostics.”
Common to all current Grove models, as well as Manitowoc and Potain-branded cranes, CCS features two full-color graphic displays for easier viewing of vital settings, with an armrest-mounted joystick and jog dial for more ergonomic navigation and data input. Intuitive and easy-to-use, the system reduces the amount of training required, enabling operators to switch between crane models with ease. For example, the boom configurator feature will suggest – and, if desired, enable – the most efficient settings for lifting a specified load using the sequenced, synchronized extension capability of the GRT8120’s seven-section, full-power MEGAFORMTM 37.2 ft to 197 ft telescopic boom.
“The GRTs’ boom lengths are a major selling point for us,” McReynolds added. “After we took delivery of our first GRT8120 in December 2020, we introduced it to our frack sand customers and the extra reach has been a huge benefit to them for core plant maintenance — so much so that we’ve secured long-term contracts with them. At 197 ft tip height, it can execute high-reach lifts but still give you a lot of versatility at a competitive rental rate.”
Unique two-year standard warranty
Likewise, despite having a much more compact carrier footprint than the RT890, the GRT8100’s greater 43 ft of tip height — courtesy of its additional boom section — and extra 10 tons of maximum capacity is an exceptional improvement that has impressed customers. The new GRT range boasts a two-year free standard bumper-to-bumper warranty, with the option to extend to five years. This is further proof of the quality enhancements engendered by The Manitowoc Way, and the extensive component validation performed in its Product Verification Center.
“The range has a sleeker look with a lower level of gravity for easier transport, and the folding jib system is simpler to use,” McReynolds said. “And here in the Gulf, where high temperatures coupled with long hours in the cab can really take it out of operators, the upgraded AC system in the new full-vision, 20° tilting cab is a game-changer!”
Having offered a wide range of heavy construction equipment since its founding in 1955, the name of this fourth-generation family-owned firm relates to the location of its Texan headquarters, approximately 90 miles east of Houston, in Jefferson County. It also operates out of Channelview (Houston) and Sulphur, Louisiana.
The company’s name is also a coincidental tie to its loyalty to the Grove crane brand. The McReynolds have been Grove customers since the 1970s, when they purchased the popular RT52 (later RT58B) models. Thanks to a strong partnership with the local dealer, H&E Equipment [now MGX Equipment] its fleet of Grove cranes expanded rapidly during the 1990s, supporting its strong growth in the Gulf.
“I’ve been doing this just shy of 40 years so I’m old-school,” McReynolds said. “I was raised in this industry and greatly appreciate having a designated dealer in my backyard. We have a long history with H&E Equipment and they have always been there for us. Dependable service is the equalizing force for us — it’s vital we have the latest equipment to give us the advantage over our competition. We supply the cranes our customers prefer.”
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ABOUT THE MANITOWOC COMPANY, INC.
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. was founded in 1902 and has over a 118-year tradition of providing high-quality, customer-focused products and support services to its markets. Manitowoc is one of the world's leading providers of engineered lifting solutions. Manitowoc, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, markets, and supports comprehensive product lines of mobile telescopic cranes, tower cranes, lattice-boom crawler cranes and boom trucks under the Grove, Manitowoc, National Crane, Potain and Shuttlelift brand names.
THE MANITOWOC COMPANY, INC.
One Park Plaza – 11270 West Park Place – Suite 1000 – Milwaukee, WI 53224, USA
T +1 414 760 4600
www.manitowoc.com
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