Tri-County Construction’s new Grove GRT8120 and GRT9165 rough-terrain cranes surround one of Aspen Equipment’s service trucks.
Two Grove rough-terrain cranes supplied by Aspen Equipment are helping an Iowa construction firm fulfill its prestigious yet demanding maintenance contract with an agricultural client.
Eddyville, Iowa-based Tri-County Construction (Tri-County) ordered a 120 ton capacity Grove GRT8120 and 165 ton capacity Grove GRT9165. The company took delivery of both cranes on New Year's Eve, with technicians from Aspen Equipment arriving the following week to ensure they were operating optimally.
Although the attention to detail he'd witnessed during the build process had impressed Tri-County's Crane Operation Supervisor Rod Ashman, he wasn't particularly surprised Grove went to such great lengths, having operated many Grove cranes since the age of 19, when he started out on a Grove RT740.
"Their reliability was expected, but from an operator's point of view, the new GRTs are probably the most versatile cranes we've ever operated," Ashman said.
"Aside from capital jobs, these cranes are generally being used on maintenance tasks, such as changing out gearboxes, conveyors and roof fans. Sometimes we'll require every pound of capacity and inch of available boom, and then the very next job might just be hoisting a 2,000 lbs motor onto a 30-feet-high balcony at a 20 ft. radius. We can go from main boom picks of 50,000 lbs. to erecting the jib and fly for a tip height of 275 ft. in a manner of minutes. The GRTs just take it all in stride."
Ashman singles out the ease of use of the hydraulically offsettable jibs (from 0 to 50 degrees on the GRT9165 and 0 to 45 degrees on the GRT8120) as being a key advantage.
"This allows us to set up in a congested or confined area and have the option to offset the jib from inside the cab to get up and over, or get us additional radius. Also, the longer boom lengths will help us reach the top strobe lights on three exhaust stacks."
Class-Leading Specs
As the strongest model in the range, the three-axle GRT9165 was acquired to enable the hoisting of heavier loads at a greater radius — a key consideration when the Tri-County operators expect to be called upon to lift a loaded rail car that could weigh up to 125,000 lbs. The crane boasts the best load charts in its class from its six-section MEGAFORM boom, maximizing capacities by reducing weight inside the extended configuration due to its TWIN-LOCK boom-pinning system. The manual or hydraulic bi-fold lattice swingaway extension adds another 36.7 to 58.4 ft. of reach.
The seven-section MEGAFORM boom of the GRT8120 also offers class-leading charts, with an additional pinning location at 90 percent that helps to increase capacities and enhance flexibility in lift planning, in conjunction with the Boom Configurator system that simplifies telescoping operations.
"This is the sort of reliable performance we depend on to ensure we fulfill our contract with our large agricultural client and continue our good working relationship with them," Ashman concluded.
"It all comes down to keeping our cranes maintained and in top working condition. Aside from the bigger reach and capacities, the key advantage of the Grove bid over the other companies we'd considered was the five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, plus the very attractive offer from Aspen to do all of our maintenance. I have to say it's the start of a very good relationship for Tri-County."
For more information, visit https://tricountyincia.com/ and https://aspenequipment.com/.
(L-R): Rod Ashman, crane operation supervisor at Tri-County Construction; Bruce Harrod, sales manager at Aspen Equipment; and Josh Boyer, product manager at Grove, visit the Manitowoc factory in Shady Grove, Pa., in December of 2021.
This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.
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