Maintaining a steady flow of good news while Chapter 11 proceedings continue, Grove’s marketing vice president Bob Hixon revealed to a Canadian industry audience last month that Grove is working on its largest ever all-terrain and rough terrain cranes.
The capacity of the two cranes has yet to be officially confirmed, but Hixon said that they would be seen for the first time at Conexpo next March. Speaking at the Crane Rental Association of Canada’s annual conference, Hixon said that the two new models would be a key part of Grove’s future.
Grove’s biggest AT at the moment is the 300t-rated, six-axle GMK 6300. A seven-axle crane would bring Grove into competition with the Demag AC 500 and the Liebherr LTM 1500, a market limited to fewer than 30 units a year. Liebherr has sold 55 units of its LTM 1500 in the three years since launch.
Grove’s biggest rough terrain currently is the 90t (100 US ton) RT 9100. This was trumped at Conexpo 1999 with the launch of the Terex RT 1100, also rated at 100 US tons but with 45m of boom to Grove’s 34.7m.
