30.06.2025

Schoeman expands with Grove

South African rental company Schoeman Crane Hire has taken delivery of a 100 tonne Grove GMK4100L-2 All Terrain crane, replacing a five axle 100 tonne model in its fleet.

The GMK4100L-2 joins a 150 tonne GMK5150L, several Rough Terrains and truck mounted cranes in the company's fleet - and features a 60 metre seven section main boom, topped by a 9.7 to 16 metre hydraulic luffing bi-fold swingaway extension, an additional eight metre insert can be installed between the boom nose and swingaway, for a maximum tip height of 89 metres. The crane carrier has an overall width of 2.55 metres, and an overall length of 11.18 metres. It can carry up to 6.8 tonnes of its 26 tonnes maximum counterweight within 12 tonne axle loads, or 21.2 tonnes where 16.5 tonne axle loads are permitted, including the all wheel drive option. Power comes from a fuel efficient Stage V Mercedes diesel, with ECO mode, and 100 percent HVO fuel compatibility.

The crane will handle the company's regular tasks including ducting, milling machines, structural steel and concrete bridge beam lifts. It already has a full schedule lined up including work on the N3 Durban to Johannesburg highway upgrade and the Willowton Oil and Cake Factory project.

Schoeman Crane Hire director Ernst Veldsman said: "Bridge beam lifts are generally eight tonnes at 18 metre radius, which the GMK4100L-2 will handle with a smile when working with 26 tonnes of counterweight. Another common pick is the lifting of a 10 tonne recuperator at 12 metre radius inside a factory, which we can easily manage with 5.6 tonnes of counterweight. These also enable us to come in at just under 12 tonnes per axle, which helps with transport permits - having one less axle than our previous crane means lower permit costs."

Based in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal Schoeman was established in 1995 by Hennie and Minnie Schoeman and provides crane and aerial work platform rental across the KZN Midlands, KZN Drakensberg, Eastern Cape regions and parts of the Free State province. Its fleet includes spider cranes, truck mounted, Rough Terrain, and All Terrain Cranes with capacities of 2.8 to 150 tonsnes from Grove, Kato, Tadano, Maeda and Zoomlion, the access fleet includes trailer lifts, booms, and scissor lifts with working heights of up to 26 metres.