MPM chooses Grove for mining work in Chile

Chile-based equipment rental and maintenance company Mantención Plantas Mineras (MPM) has added a Grove GMK5130-2 to its fleet to help meet growing lifting demands in the country.

Daniel Vega, owner at MPM, said, “We purchased the GMK5130-2 to work in a variety of construction and maintenance jobs in some of Chile’s largest copper and gold mines. In fact, as its first project, the crane has been hard at work on the expansion of Minera Spence, a copper mine in the Antofagasta region that produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of raw materials every year.”

Having had a positive experience with its first Grove crane, a 120 tonne RT9130E-2 rough terrain model purchased in 2012, MPM wanted a higher capacity crane that could easily travel through Chile’s high altitude roads, the company said.

Vega added, “We wanted a crane that could effortlessly move within and between job sites. Its fast highway speeds and good off road performance make the Grove GMK5130-2 both efficient and capable.”

The five axle crane’s 11 tonne counterweight is larger than any other equivalent machine in the market, giving it an impressive load chart, the company said. The GMK5130-2 features a 60 metre six section main boom that can lift up to 10 tonnes when fully extended. In addition, the crane is engineered with the Manitowoc Megatrack suspension and all wheel steer system. This independent suspension allows each wheel to remain on the ground at all times, greatly increasing stability, said Manitowoc.

An evolution of the popular GMK5130-1, the second generation GMK5130-2 has an improved cab that hydraulically tilts to 20 degrees. The cab, made of aluminium, has all round vision and safety glass for optimal operator safety. The five axle crane can also be moved on the job site with its full counterweight, saving project time that would otherwise be spent installing or removing sections, the company said.