Massucco T. buys three Grove GRT655L rough terrain cranes

Italian headquartered Massucco T. has expanded its crane fleet with three new Grove GRT655L rough terrain models. It operates a fleet of over 1,800 vehicles covering the lifting and earthmoving markets. It was founded over 60 years ago and has 13 branches across Italy, France, and Tunisia and is one of the largest rental companies in Italy.

“There were many reasons behind our choice to invest in Grove again,” said Roberto Borgogno, sales manager at Massucco T. “Our previous experience with the brand, and our awareness of the reliability and excellent technical support were relevant. But perhaps the main attraction was the advanced technologies on the crane. These are not gadgets, but digital tools that impact crane management and maintenance. For example, the diagnostics feature is an extremely important way to keep on top of operating and maintenance costs. It allows us to precisely schedule service based on working hours.”

The crane’s onboard diagnostics enable the actual hours of many machine functions (winch, boom, slewing, engine, hydraulics etc.) to be recorded, ensuring maintenance is performed when needed. The frequency of maintenance is also reduced due to a design focussed on increased component service life, says Grove. For example, by mounting the outrigger jack cylinders upside down, the chrome part of the cylinder and the seals are protected against damage, sand, dust, and other contaminants. And by using hydraulic disc-brakes with double callipers, instead of the more common, less-efficient pneumatic design, there is no need for a separate maintenance schedule.

Borgogno also cited the crane’s compact and portable nature as being important factors, too.  “The GRT655L is just 3m wide and has a removable counterweight, so it’s easy to transport on a trailer,” adds Borgogno. Despite these small dimensions the crane has a capacity of 60 tonnes, a 43 m boom, a tilting cab, and a removable counterweight – all features usually only found on larger rough-terrain cranes.

“The GRT655L’s impressive load charts and performance are a big selling point, but even more importantly, it’s a crane with features that are perfect for the Italian and European market – and that’s a major advantage in the rental business,” continued Borgogno. “With these purchases, our fleet is more versatile, allowing us to further extend our offering and cover a wider range of applications, from assembling prefabricated buildings to maintenance and process work in industrial plants.”

The cranes were presented to the Italian rental giant at a handover event at Manitowoc’s Niella Tanaro factory, just 30 minutes from Massucco T.’s headquarters in Cuneo, Piedmont.