- The 35-year-old crane company is not afraid of taking its Grove cranes to work in altitudes as high as 15,000 ft (4,500 m).
- Corssen’s GRT8100 and GMK5250L are two of the company’s busiest cranes, and they work primarily in the mining and energy sectors.
Antofagasta, Chile-based Corssen Grúas & Montajes has been in business for over 35 years and currently counts on an exclusively Grove fleet for lifting jobs in the country’s mining, energy and construction sectors. The company’s rough-terrain and all-terrain cranes face tough projects in elevations as high as 15,000 ft (4,500 m) and under extreme temperatures that often hover around 5 °F (-15 °C).
Corssen’s newest Grove, a GRT8100 rough-terrain crane with 100 USt (100 t) of maximum capacity, has worked consistently at a massive copper mine in Chile’s Atacama Desert for the last two years without any issues, according to Owner Martin Corssen.
“This crane is very versatile, and it has performed well across different job site environments,” he said. “Whether on the Pacific Coast dealing with high winds or in the mountains at high altitudes and frigid conditions, the crane has not disappointed.”
Corssen’s GRT8100 is currently working at a mining port not far from Antofagasta.
“We like this crane for its ability to easily dismantle its counterweight while keeping the auxiliary winch in the superstructure,” Corssen added. “The crane’s CCS [Crane Control System] is very easy to operate. Its boom has very good reach and performance.”
The GRT8100 has a five-section, full-power boom that extends up to 154.3 ft (47 m) and can increase its length to 239.4 ft (73 m) with the use of a jib. Power comes from a Cummins QSB6.7L engine, and the crane offers an overall GVW of nearly 60 USt (55 t).
Corssen also has a 300 USt (250 t) GMK5250L all-terrain crane that recently completed a job at a mine that involved expanding and reconditioning a large smelter used to process raw materials into metal using coal as fuel. According to Corssen, the GMK5250L has also been taken to high elevations and extreme temperatures and it has performed well under such circumstances.
“This crane is easy to maintain, and we like the way it is built and how it performs with one single-engine,” he said.
The GMK5250L is powered by a single-engine, which drives the carrier and powers the superstructure. Using only one engine means lower fuel consumption during operation (up to 30% less diesel), reduced overall weight and less maintenance, meaning the crane is far more economical.
Other Grove cranes in Corssen’s fleet include an RT760E, RT880E, RT890E and RT9130E.
