Manitowoc Crane Group

The Grove GTK1100 was one of the biggest launches in the crane industry at bauma 2007. Three years later, Manitowoc has announced another development for this highly innovative crane. The GTK1100 will now have even greater lifting capability with the introduction of the Megalift1500 load moment-enhancing attachment.

The attachment was launched last year along with an optional crawler cab. Both enhancements improve job site productivity.

The GTK1100 is well-suited for lifting loads to tall heights and can place approximately 90 t at a 12 m radius at heights of over 80 m. With the Megalift1500 attachment, the crane can lift those same loads, but at a radius of up to 16 m.

Gerhard Kaupert, Manitowoc’s director for technical projects in EMEA, said the new attachment gives customers more options when placing the GTK1100 at job sites.

“The GTK’s load chart means it is perfect for placing wind turbines or assembling loads at extreme heights in industrial locations,” he said. “With the Megalift1500 attachment, we give customers more flexibility as to where they can position the crane. By increasing the load moment, we can lift the same loads but place the crane at greater radii.”

The Megalift1500 consists of a counterweight frame plus 63 t of slab-style counterweight. This consists of three counterweight slabs of 14 t, a slab of 8.5 t plus a 5.5 t base plate and the weight of the frame itself.

The slabs are shared with Grove’s GMK6300 all-terrain crane (GMK6350 in the U.S.) which allows better modularity for fleet owners. The frame attaches to the rear of the hoist box and is an available option for new models and existing GTK1100 cranes.

The counterweight is rigged at ground level before being hoisted to the bottom of the Megalift1500 frame. It then locks into position while the GTK1100 is lifting.

Since its launch in 2007, the GTK1100 has been successful at job sites across the world. It has erected wind turbines, dismantled chimneys, assembled and disassembled tower cranes and a variety of other tasks that use its exceptional reach and capacity capabilities.

The most recent deliveries have been to China Power Equipment Installation Engineering Co. Ltd. in China for a wind power project in Inner Mongolia; and to Vanguard in South Africa also on a wind power project.

The GTK1100 is now rated with a maximum lift capacity of 150 t, up from the previous maximum capacity rating of 95 t. The new maximum lift capacity is available when the crane is operating with half its telescopic mast extended.