The crane, which Manitowoc says is the first of its kind, consists of the superstructure of a 55-tonne GMK 3055 all terrain crane mounted on a standard three-axle truck trailer that can be hooked up to any prime mover.Manitowoc says the GSK55 will be an ideal alternative to an all terrain crane in applications where the crane is rarely moved.A 104-kilowatt Iveco engine on the trailer provides the power for the superstructure and outriggers. When combined with a two-axle prime mover, the gross vehicle weight is under 42t and when travelling with an 11.6t counterweight the axle loadings are less than 9t – well within the standard 12t axle limit.The crane’s specs are the same as the GMK3055, which means a 43m main boom plus an optional 8.7m/15m swingaway jib.Manitowoc will be watching the market reaction to the GSK55 keenly and will no doubt move quickly to introduce bigger capacity trailer-mounted cranes if it is well received.Intermat 2009 is on from April 20 to 25.
