Dual Grove Cranes Make Light Work of Steel Walkway Demolition

Grove's GMK6300L and GMK6400 all-terrain cranes were ideal for dismantling a large, steel walkway within tight quarters thanks to compact footprints and high lifting capabilities

Contractors completed a demolition project in Detroit with the help of a GMK6300L and a GMK6400 Grove all-terrain cranes.
Contractors completed a demolition project in Detroit with the help of a GMK6300L and a GMK6400 Grove all-terrain cranes.

The challenge:

Demolish abandoned General Motors facility building in Michigan, including removing a 67.5-ton steel walkway

The players:

JJ Curran Crane

The process:

Two Grove all-terrain cranes played a pivotal role in demolishing an abandoned building at a General Motors facility in Michigan. Detroit-based JJ Curran Crane used a GMK6300L and a GMK6400 to assist with one of the demolition’s most difficult tasks: the removal of a 67.5-ton steel walkway.

Chad McComas, a crane operator with JJ Curran, said the cranes were chosen for their jobsite maneuverability, along with their high lifting capacities from compact footprints.

“There was a lot of steel that needed to be cut to free the walkway from the outside wall of the building,” he explained. “We needed cranes that could fit in tight quarters, offer our demolition crew maximum stability while they worked and be able to take the brunt of the walkway once it was cut free. I’m happy to say that both the GMK6300L and the GMK6400 performed without a hitch throughout the process.”

Contractors positioned the 350-ton GMK6300L on one side of the walkway, with the 450-ton GMK6400 stationed at the opposite side. After rigging segments of the walkway to each crane, a demolition crew proceeded to sever the walkway’s connections to the building’s walls and foundation. The free-hanging structure was then lowered to the ground, where the crew cut it roughly in half, resulting in two pieces that weighed approximately 35 tons each. Both Grove cranes easily lifted their respective steel segments down to street level for further disassembly and disposal.

The walkway removal took only 15 hours to complete — it was a testament to JJ Curran’s careful planning, which the all-terrain performance of the two Grove cranes made possible.

“There was not much room to maneuver on this jobsite,” McComas said. “But the GMK6300L and the GMK6400 gave us the stability and capacity on a small enough footprint to carefully complete the walkway separation without stopping for readjustments. By the time the sun was setting, we had already safely maneuvered the large pieces of steel to the street below. It was a great example of using the latest equipment to take a complex problem and safely engineer a solution.”

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