28.03.2023

Canada’s first Grove GMK6400-1

Canadian rental company A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment has taken delivery of the first 400 tonne Grove GMK6400-1 to arrive in Canada. Based in Dartmouth/Halifax in Nova Scotia A.W. Leil operates from five locations in Atlantic Canada. The new GMK6400-1 becomes the company’s flagship crane, and it hopes will open up new applications.

Launched at Bauma last year, the six axle crane features a five section 60 metre main boom, a new Stage V/Tier 4 Final diesel and an upgraded hydraulic system, as well as MegaDrive hydrostatic drive, the Maxbase variable outrigger set up system and CCS operating controls. It can be equipped with up to 79 metres of luffing jib for a 136 metre maximum tip height, while Grove’s Mega Wing Lift self-rigging Superlift system, increases lift capacities by up to 70 percent on the main boom and up to 400 percent on the luffing jib.
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The crane is prepared prior to the handover

The crane was supplied by local Grove dealer Shawmut Equipment of Canada, which provided hands-on operator and service technician training at the handover. Shortly thereafter the new the crane headed out to its first wind farm job on Prince Edward Island and has not yet returned to its Dartmouth base.
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The new crane’s first job

President Ryan Long said: “Our largest crane was a 400 ton unit, which usually left us just shy of being able to service larger wind towers, so we recognised the need to upsize. We were initially looking at 500 to 650 ton cranes, but once we started doing careful comparisons, plotting out every tiny detail in a spreadsheet, the 450 ton GMK6400-1 kept shining through.”

“Taxi work is crucial for us, so the icing on the cake is that we can just head straight out, trailing a boom dolly behind. Other machines in the region have to spend extra time and work sending extra permits, trucks and boom launching before every single mobilization. In the end, that’s added cost to the customer. The GMK6400-1’s easy roading really has been a major turning point for us. We’re not a huge company, but our fantastic new crane helps us punch above our weight and hopefully tells the market that we’re ready to take on any challenge!”

A.W. Leil’s Crane & Rigging Supervisor Ryan Bruce added: “The best thing about the new crane has to be the safety package. Manitowoc has outdone itself with the amount of fall protection and the easy erection of safety rails on everything from boom to jib.”
Based in Dartmouth across the harbour from Halifax in Nova Scotia, A.W. Leil was established around 60 years ago and now operates from five locations, four in Nova Scotia and one in Moncton, New Brunswick. Its fleet includes All Terrains to 400 tonnes, Crawler cranes to 600 tonnes, Rough Terrain up to 90 tonnes, industrial pick & carry cranes and boom trucks.
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A. W. Leil’s branch network