Grove GMK tandem lift showcases heavy lift at Detroit docks

JJ Curran, a Detroit, MI-based crane rental and lifting service, was recently called upon to help with a massive lifting job at the city docks.

The project involved hoisting a 116.5-ton gas “scrubber,” which was 109 feet long and 19.5 feet in diameter, from a barge docked on the Detroit River to the dock on Zug Island. Once landed on Zug Island, it would be transported to its final destination at the steel mill. The scrubber will be set vertically in position at the mill during a plant-wide shutdown this coming spring. Knowing the details of the lift called for machines with versatility and heavy lifting capacities, JJ Curran deployed their Grove GMK6300L and GMK6400 all-terrain cranes to ensure the job got done with ease. Both machines were purchased from the Riverdale, IL-based Manitowoc dealer Walter Payton Power Equipment (WPPE).

“The weight of the scrubber and 75 foot distance from the center of the barge to the landing spot were definitely the biggest challenges,” said Chad McComas, crane operator and field engineer at JJ Curran. “An additional challenge was the 2 mph current of the Detroit River. We had to make the lift off the barge that was in the river. The GMK6400 needed to handle 54 tons at 60 foot radius, and the GMK6300L had to hoist the 49-ton scrubber at a 55 foot radius. The two GMKs handled the task flawlessly.”