A new Grove TM500E-2 truck crane was the ideal solution to help with an upgrade at the Swatara Township water treatment facility in Hummelstown, Pa. Owned and operated by Greiner Industries Inc., an industrial contractor and crane rental company in Mount Joy Pa., U.S., the crane was needed to lift a decommissioned pump and some old piping from where it was installed 25 ft below the ground.

According to John Dohner, project manager for Greiner Industries' crane division, reach was more critical than capacity on this job.

"The heaviest load we lifted was the pump, which weighed about 3,000 lbs," he said. "Overhead obstacles and confined space meant we had to position the crane 75 ft from the point of lift. But this was no problem for the crane which has a 102 ft boom. Reach was the primary reason we chose the TM500E-2 for this job."

The Grove TM500E-2 has two engines - a 300 hp on-highway engine that powers the carrier and a 110 hp off-highway engine that powers the crane functions. Having two engines means that users do not have to run the larger carrier engine to power the crane. This reduces fuel usage, decreases emissions and limits the hours on the carrier engine.

Dohner says this dual-engine feature was appealing for Greiner Industries.

"The potential to save fuel and reduce wear and tear on the carrier engine were big factors in our decision to buy this crane," he said. "This truck crane was a good choice for us. It fits well with the rest of our fleet, and given the economic conditions we felt it was a good thing to buy a domestically built crane."