SECTOR FOCUS Ӏ REPAIR AND REFURBISHMENT
BEFORE: the GMK3050 before restoration
keeping the operator happy
Skilled labour is increasingly hard to fi nd, so when a company fi nds the right candidate it’s worth making an effort to persuade him to sign up. A steel-erecting company in The Netherlands needed a crane operator. Van Gerstel Montage, based in Kaatsheuvel, had found the perfect candidate to join its expert and close-knit team. But there was one problem: the operator was currently working on an older Grove GMK3050 and he liked this crane model so much that he wanted to continue working on it into the future. “We asked him what it would take to get him to join us,”
In the box the boom sections are separated...
said company owner Rens van Gestel. “And he said, ‘a nice, pristine, original GMK3050’.” That was easier said than done. The GMK3050 is a crane that was introduced over a quarter of a century ago in 1996 and discontinued in 2006. Grove’s current model is its third-generation successor, the GMK3050-3. “But we talked to the guys at Manitowoc EnCORE in Breda” said van Gestel, “and they got to work. In no time at all, they had found an original GMK3050 that fi rst rolled out of the plant 21 years ago. So once we identifi ed the crane we then had to fi gure out the best way to give it a new lease of life.” Despite its two decades of service the crane had only covered
80,000 km and clocked up 8,000 working hours under its two careful owners. It is a durable design and the crane was still in extremely good condition when the technical team from EnCORE started their work. An inspection suggested a range of repairs, revisions, and cosmetic work to return it to its former glory. With agreement for the updates from Van Gestel Montage, refurbishment began.
Major components including the boom and winch underwent The wheels are removed and the crane is stripped down
specialist refurbishment; a suite of other minor repairs and upgrades followed. Then the bodywork received some attention; every dent and crack repaired before the crane received a full respray, fi nished with clear coat paint and carbon decals. Following the commissioning of the crane in mid-November at Manitowoc’s Breda facility, the customer took delivery of its latest addition. Just a day or two later, the crane was out and working for Van Gestel Montage, proudly sporting its new livery and with its new operator at the controls.
AFTER: After complete refurbishment, loving bodywork and a respray in its new owner’s colours the 21-year-old machine looks and performs as new
The boom sections are lined up for refurbishment
CRANES TODAY 19
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