Burger’s Grove for earthquake repairs in Chile

Raul Burger in Chile donated the use of a Grove GMK5165-2 all terrain crane for building repairs following February’s earthquake.

The 165 US ton (130 tonne) capacity crane, called GMK5130-2 outside the USA, was used to remove the main statue from the façade of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago. The bronze statue was at risk of falling.

The owner of crane rental company Burger Gruas, said, “Chileans will feel the aftermath of the earthquake for quite some time. “Repairing this great national monument is just one sign of recovery, and our company is honoured to play a role.”

Onlookers saw a fire truck hoist a rigger in a man basket to the roof of the cathedral, where the statue was secured and rigged for lifting. The crane was configured with 54 m of boom (60 m maximum) angled to give 28 m radius. Outriggers were fully extended and set on large supports because the crane stood over a subway tunnel.

The 10 tonne capacity for the crane in this configuration was more than enough for the 4 tonne statue. Burger said he wanted to have complete confidence. “This was such a high-profile project. We did not want to take any chances with our choice of crane, in either capacity or technology and we are very happy with how the job went. The crane performed very smoothly.”