Tusker Switches from Used to New Grove Cranes to Cut Downtime
Irish contractor Tusker Construction Group has added five new Grove all-terrain cranes, from a 300 t GMK6300L-1 to two GMK3060L-1, through dealer Irlequip. Tusker Switches from Used to New Grove Cranes to Cut Downtime published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.
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The Irish contractor and crane hire business has added a GMK6300L-1, two GMK5120L and two GMK3060L-1 all-terrain cranes, supplied and supported by Grove dealer Irlequip
For a long time, Tusker Construction Group bought its Grove cranes second-hand. The County Monaghan company, which runs a crane rental fleet and uses the same machines on its own construction projects, sourced quality used units from several suppliers, including Irlequip, the Grove dealer for Ireland. In 2025, it changed course and started investing in new machines for its fleet additions.
After comparing options, Tusker chose Grove again, this time from the factory: one GMK6300L-1, two GMK5120L and two GMK3060L-1 all-terrain cranes, all available for work across Ireland and the UK.
Cheaper to buy, dearer to keep on the road
The reasoning is the one most rental fleets end up making sooner or later: a used crane saves money at purchase and gives some of it back in workshop time.
“We’ve long enjoyed the performance and productivity of Grove cranes, but we saw an opportunity to achieve higher utilisation, lower downtime, and reduced running costs by switching to new models.”
Said John Lennon, managing director of the Tusker Group.
The mix covers three distinct parts of the market. At the top, the six-axle GMK6300L-1 is a 300 t crane with an 80 m main boom and up to 120 m of reach with its 37 m jib and boom extension, the kind of machine that takes on heavy lifts on industrial and infrastructure projects.
In the middle, the five-axle GMK5120L is rated at 120 t and has a 66 m main boom with a 9.4/16 m bi-fold swingaway jib. It comes with Grove’s Crane Control System and MAXbase variable outrigger positioning, and its flexible counterweight options make it suited to taxi-crane work, moving quickly between short jobs.
The three-axle GMK3060L-1 is a 60 t crane with a 48 m main boom and an 8.7/15 m bi-fold swingaway jib, also equipped with CCS and MAXbase, chosen for compact sites where a small footprint matters as much as capacity.
The dealer who sold them the used ones
The deal also says something about how dealers grow. Irlequip had already been one of Tusker’s sources of used Grove cranes, and the move to new equipment came with an extended warranty and full support from the dealer, backed by Manitowoc’s global service network.
“Many of our customers start with a used Grove crane and then convert to a new one once they see the machine’s performance and the support they receive from Irlequip.”
Said John Ledwith, director of Irlequip.
For rental companies weighing the same choice, Tusker’s case is a useful reference: the decision was framed around running costs and availability rather than purchase price, and the dealer’s workshop and parts stock were part of what was being bought.
Tusker Switches from Used to New Grove Cranes to Cut Downtime published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.
