GTK1100 cranes from Manitowoc have recently completed projects in China, South Africa, France, Spain, Germany and Poland. As the Grove GTK1100 continues to assist on projects around the world, the first GTK1100 has now made its way to Australia.
Vanguard, a specialist in heavy lift and transport industries, plans to send the GTK1100 to industrial relocation jobs and wind turbine installation projects throughout Australia and Asia.
Bryan Hodgkinson, managing director of Vanguard, said the GTK1100 was already generating interest because of its ease of transport.
“We target projects for the GTK1100 not only in Australia, but also projects across Asia,” he said. “The GTK1100 is incredibly easy to move and is a cost-effective option for customers. We have already submitted quotes for a variety of projects, and there is strong interest from the market. We have no doubt the crane will be a tremendous success in this region.”
Vanguard has based its GTK1100 in Melbourne, where it can dispatch the crane easily by road. Alternatively, if Vanguard ships the GTK1100 to another country, Melbourne is an ideal point for sea transport. With wind power markets well-established in North America and Western Europe, Australia and Asia are now making strong investments wind energy.
Vanguard used the GTK1100 in South Africa to place nine turbines on a wind project, the largest being a 2.5 MW capacity turbine set on an 85 m tower. And the crane is also lined up for a massive 100 turbine wind farm scheduled to start in 2013.
Hodgkinson said shipping the crane from South Africa to Australia was relatively simple.
“The GTK1100 is not only simple to move by road, but also by ship,” he said. “It breaks down into only a few containers and is easy to maneuver at its final destination. We are already receiving job inquiries, proving our initial good feelings on the crane.”
The GTK1100 can lift 78 t at heights up to 118 m, and at a 13 m radius. It transports on only five trailers and has a wheeled carrier and luffing telescopic boom connected by an 81 m telescopic mast. Four spreaders at the top of the mast attach to outriggers at the base for stability.
The crane requires very little space to set up and has a simple rigging procedure, making it well-suited to crowded, urban sites or wind farm projects where there is little space to rig the boom at ground level.