Based just outside Chicago, Illinois, Imperial Crane works out of three locations to provide crane rental services to subcontractors in the Greater Chicago/Northwest Indiana area.
The Grove cranes Imperial owns now include a 300 USt (250t) model GMK6300 (GMK 6250 internationally), a 240 USt (200t) GMK5240 (GMK5200 internationally) and a variety of smaller capacity five-axle models, including two 120 USt (100t) GMK5120B (GMK5100 internationally) units.
Among the first jobs for Imperial’s GMK5165 was a series of lifts at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana, US. Built to resemble a cruise liner, the stationary casino floats on Lake Michigan, and comprises a multi-deck gaming and leisure complex with an adjacent hotel.
Continued growth means the owners are having a second “vessel” built nearby, as well as three new on-site restaurants and a four-story parking garage.
On the casino site, the crane was used to lift a variety of materials, including 17,000 lb (6,345kg) pre-cast concrete panels.
The GMK5165 is often working for the company with full main boom of 197ft (60m), and with the addition of a 36ft (10m) jib. The crane’s lifting capabilities are said to come thanks to its MEGAFORM boom design, and ability to accommodate a counterweight of 57,300lbs (21,387kg). Aside from the Blue Chip Casino, the GMK5165 has been kept busy by Imperial, as Larry Eckardt, service manager at Imperial Crane, explained.
“The GMK5165 is used for daily rentals as well as short and long-term duty-cycle work. A typical load is usually around 13,000lbs (4852kg) which the crane lifts easily, at a radius of up to 140ft (42m),” he said. “We employ our own operators for a crane of this size and we can ensure a quick turnaround. The GMK5165 gets to do on average about seven lifts per day.”
Work at the Blue Chip Casino is set to finish in December this year.
