North Devon-based mobile crane rental company KAS Crane Hire took delivery of the UK’s first GMK3060L-1 all-terrain crane with the next generation of Grove carrier cab in June 2021. The family-run firm has been supplying reliable, modern cranes; ancillary equipment; and skilled operators in the southwest of England since 1983 and has recently renewed its fleet.

KAS offers its customers a choice of five cranes, ranging from 40 to 100 t in capacity. The largest among them is the four-axle 100 t capacity Grove GMK4100L-1 all-terrain crane, which joined the fleet in 2019. Its latest addition, the three-axle 60 t capacity Grove GMK3060L-1 replaced an old GMK3055 in the same class. The company chose Grove based on its previous good experiences with the brand – in particular, the strength and quality of the cranes, as well as the speed and convenience of the aftermarket support.

“We purchased the GMK3060L-1 on the back of our GMK4100L-1, which has been a very busy crane for us. The quality of the cranes is superb, and we’ve had such a great experience with Grove, we decided to go with them again,” said Andrew Smith, director of KAS.

“The aftermarket support we get is exceptional,” he continued. “If there’s ever a problem, I can ring them up and they will either fix it over the phone or send a fitter straight away. If there’s a problem in the morning, they will get a fitter on-site by the afternoon. The parts team are also very good. I drive cranes as well as run the business so I’m not in an office all the time. My business is outside in a crane where it’s not always easy for me to look up part numbers when I need them.”