Grove GMK7450 sold to mining company BHP Billiton
WATM, Manitowoc dealer for Western Australia, has delivered a Grove GMK7450 all-terrain crane to mining giant BHP Billiton Iron Ore. BHP put the crane to work immediately, with its first job the dismantling of the primary iron ore crusher at its main mining facility, the Mt. Whaleback Mine, in Newman, Western Australia.
Stephen Lazenby, sales manager for WATM, said that BHP purchased the crane for its mobility and high lift capacity.
The job for the GMK7450 on the Allis Chalmers primary crusher was to lift out two of the central components. The crusher has been in service since 1969 and the GMK7450 was responsible for removing the 68 t ‘spider’ and the 62 t mantle from the equipment. This process will be repeated approximately three times a year. This first job completed without incident and the crane then moved to other remote sites to perform routine bi-monthly maintenance on other BHP mining equipment.
Lazenby said the crane’s new owners were very impressed with how efficiently it performed and how smoothly the repairs went. “The crew that were running the GMK7450 were very pleased with how well it performed, ” he said. “It completely exceeded expectations, both in terms of lift capacity and overall operation.”
The GMK7450 all-terrain crane is the largest mobile crane from Manitowoc’s Grove brand. It has a 450 t maximum capacity and a 60 m main boom featuring Grove’s TWIN-LOCK pinning system. With jib extensions, reach can extend to 130 m. The seven-axle carrier includes a fully automatic Allison transmission and Grove’s unique MEGATRAK independent suspension system for optimal performance both on- and off- road.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore is one of the world’s largest suppliers of iron ore. The company has a fleet of Grove mobile cranes including all-terrain cranes, rough-terrain cranes and truck cranes, all supported through the Manitowoc Crane Care facility at WATM. Based in the Pilbara region, the company has an integrated system of seven mines, more than 1, 000 km of rail track and two port facilities to support its operations.
