Canada’s First Grove TMS9000-2 Saves Hours on the Job for R&D Crane Rental

When Manitowoc introduced the Grove TMS9000-2 in February of 2017, it also revealed the mantra behind the crane’s design: lighter, longer, stronger. It was these very same attributes that led R&D Crane Rental (R&D) to be the first company in Canada to take delivery of the new-model truck crane.

For the Burnside, Nova Scotia-based rental company, the TMS9000-2 represented an opportunity to grow its business and outperform the competition.

“We’re a relatively new company, and we wanted to add a crane to our fleet that would boost our reputation in Canada,” said Alex Jenkins, operations manager of R&D. “We feel that the TMS9000-2 has done that. The main selling point for us was the longer main boom. Other comparable cranes only have 142 ft of main boom, while the TMS9000-2 gives you 169 ft. That extra reach has saved us hours on the job since we don’t have to take a swingaway jib on and off the crane.”

The TMS9000-2’s added reach is already coming in handy on the job site. R&D is putting the crane to work to help build a new Marriott-branded hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the crane is hoisting formwork panels at radii ranging from 140 to 150 ft. The crane is expected to work on the project through January 2018.

Jenkins also credited the crane’s weight and 115 USt capacity with giving R&D an edge over its competition.

“The TMS9000-2 has a comparable gross weight to that of a lower-capacity crane, but you also get extra boom length. This makes it easier to get proper road permits in our region,” Jenkins explained. “The crane has worked almost every day since we acquired it. It gives us the reach we need to adapt to a wide range of job sites.”

The company purchased the TMS9000-2 from Shawmut Equipment, a Manchester, Connecticut-based dealer of Manitowoc, Grove, Potain and National Crane products that has served New England and the Atlantic provinces of Canada since 1957.

R&D Crane is a division of the Cherubini Group of companies and provides crane services to numerous industries, including construction, commercial, marine, wind and residential. R&D’s team of certified operators, engineers and managers have used Manitowoc cranes on a number of projects, including the McDonald Bridge project near Halifax, where the company used a Manitowoc 16000.