News Release

June 7, 2006

Grove delivers first GMK5130-1 in Ireland

The GMK5030-1 at Meade Crane Service.

Meade Crane Service has taken delivery of the Republic of Ireland’s first Grove GMK5130-1 (GMK5165 in the US) all-terrain mobile crane. The rental company, based in Rathcoole, County Dublin, received the 130 t (165 USt) crane earlier this year. The GMK5130-1 joins two other Grove machines in the 13-crane Meade fleet: a GMK3055, and a GMK5100 (GMK5120B in the US).

Fergus Meade, company director, said the GMK5130-1 is a perfect addition to the fleet.

“We purchased the GMK5130-1 to fill the void between our smaller cranes, with short boom lengths, and larger machines that are too big for working in the city, which is where most of our work occurs,” Meade said. “The GMK5130-1 is the ideal size and is perfect for our needs. We chose this crane because of the great performance of our other Grove five-axle crane, the GMK5100. We have been very pleased with the GMK5130-1’s performance. It has hardly spent anytime in our yard since its delivery.”

The first job for the crane involved lifting several 2 t (2.2 USt) air-conditioning units to a height of 40 m (131 ft) for installation on top of a building located in the close confines of Dublin’s city center. The GMK5130-1 was rigged with its full boom of 60 m (197 ft) and was configured with 18 m (59 ft) of luffing fly, at a 40º angle. In order to maximize lift capacity, 23.6 t (USt) of counterweight was used. Manitowoc Crane CARE engineer Bob Williams came along to this first jobsite, to make sure Meade was satisfied with the new machine.

Subsequent jobs have seen the GMK5130-1 performing telecommunication work – the mainstay of Meade’s work, and Fergus Meade is already considering purchasing another GMK5130-1, to join a GMK6300 (GMK6350 in the US) which will be delivered shortly.

The GMK5130-1 features MEGATRAK™ independent hydro-pneumatic suspension and MEGAFORM™ shaping on its six-section boom, as well as Grove’s TWIN-LOCK™ pinning system. It comes with a Mercedes Benz OM502LA, eight-cylinder 380 kW (510 hp) carrier engine, and a Daimler Chrysler G 240-16 automatic transmission. The crane’s control system features CAN-BUS engine management system and Grove’s ECOS electronic control system.

About The Manitowoc Company
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. is one of the world's largest providers of lifting equipment for the global construction industry, including lattice-boom cranes, tower cranes, mobile telescopic cranes, and boom trucks. As a leading manufacturer of ice-cube machines, ice/beverage dispensers, and commercial refrigeration equipment, the company offers the broadest line of cold-focused equipment for the foodservice industry. In addition, the company is a leading provider of shipbuilding, ship repair, and conversion services for government, military, and commercial customers throughout the US maritime industry.

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