Grove, a mobile hydraulic crane producer, is now offering a heavy-duty jib extension for the Grove GRT9165 rough-terrain crane that increases the 165 USt (150 t) crane’s utilization abilities. The jib is 12.5 ft long and designed with two sheaves, for up to four parts of line, and is hydraulically offsettable from 0° to 50°. The jib has a max lifting capacity of 68,600 lbs. The two-hook design gives operators tight precision when positioning panels, with the hydraulic jib controlled via an in-cab switch for faster operation and convenience.

The heavy-duty jib was designed to meet the fast-changing precast concrete panel market, a common off-site techniques used during construction. This type of work is expected to grow 5.6% annually over the next five years alone. Precast concrete yields added environmental benefits, too, as the hollow core uses half the amount of concrete without compromising on strength. This results in up to a 25% reduction in a building’s CO2 construction footprint.

Wisconsin-based design-build contractor Miron Construction Co. (Miron) is the first customer to use the new jib on its GRT9165.

“It takes a larger crane to lift and rotate the concrete panels and vertically set them in place. Our precast jobs have a short duration and we wanted to minimize transport and setup costs,” said Pete Klosterman, executive vice president, field resources for Miron.

Miron, Grove dealer American State Equipment, and Grove’s product development team collaborated on the development of the jib extension to make it purpose-built for precast.

“We took feedback from Miron to develop preliminary charts and stayed in close contact through the testing phase, making real-time modifications to deliver a final product that meets the market need from day one,” said John Bair, Grove rough-terrain product manager.

In June, Miron used the jib to set panels for a new high school in western Wisconsin. The GRT9165 was configured with its full 56,800 lbs of counterweight and working at a max tip height of 124 ft, with a 50-ft radius and zero-degree offset.

“It’s great to have the ability to luff the jib up and down for increased or decreased separation as needed, and it’s quick and easy to install and uninstall the jib,” said Luke Rathke, project superintendent with Miron.

The heavy-duty jib extension is available for order on all new Grove GRT9165 rough-terrain cranes and as a retrofit for cranes in the field.

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