German crane provider Auto-Klug has taken delivery of a Grove GMK4100L-1 all-terrain crane, the first in the country to come with a K-100 synthetic rope.
Made from a combination of high-performance synthetic fibres, the K-100 is 80% lighter than wire rope and boasts torque-neutral construction that eliminates load spin and cabling, according to Grove.
The new hoist material also makes for easy handling, reeving and installation, and because it does not require lubrication with heavy grease, it is environmentally friendly. Auto-Klug’s unit was delivered to the company’s Bindlach branch in Bavaria, south-east Germany. It will be on lifting duty for transport operations in northern Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
More than half of Auto-Klug’s 50-crane fleet are Grove machines, a product line of crane manufacturer Manitowoc. Manitowoc’s Grove product line includes rough-terrain, truck-mounted, all-terrain, Grove YardBoss, industrial cranes and Shuttlelift Carrydeck cranes.
Grove said that the 100tonne capacity, four-axle crane with a 60m main boom offers the best load charts in its class in maximum counterweight configuration. In its most common taxi configuration it has a weight of less than 12tonne per axle, including 6.7tonne of counterweight – a common axle load limit in many countries.
Auto-Klug’s single-engine unit also has aluminium rims to reduce the crane’s weight – which is below the permissible total weight of 48tonne – making it more roadable while increasing operating margins, explained Werner Glück, managing partner at Auto-Klug.
“We have been very intrigued by the K-100 synthetic rope and the benefits it offers,” said Glück.
“It helps us by reducing weight and maintenance effort, and it also makes it easier for the operator to reeve the rope on the jib and hook blocks. It will eliminate some of the issues they face with kinking, bird caging and spooling damage. In the end, this will also help us to reduce costs.”
