Rough Terrain Cranes touchscreen display.
Manitowoc also retained features such as remote-mounted filters and centrally located service points to make the GRT550 technician-friendly. Additionally, service and diagnostics features such as the Grove CONNECT fleet management system and the company’ s On Crane Service Interface( oCSI) have been incorporated in the new model.
Now available in global markets is the Grove GRT780 rough terrain model. The 80-ton capacity RT replaces the RT770E and the GRT880 in the Grove RT crane lineup. The new model is powered by a Cummins Stage 5 engine.
The Grove GRT780 features a 155.1-foot, five-section MEGAFORM full-power boom with a 33- to 56-foot bi-fold swingaway boom extension capability and has a 220-foot maximum tip height. Versatile counterweight options on the model include 17,500- or 20,500- pound capacities.
Features of the Grove RT include the MAXbase variable outrigger system, a 12-inch CCS 1 + touchscreen display, a wider full-vision tilting cab and a
Supporting Waterfront Development
Taking center stage for eight months on the Seattle waterfront, a Link-Belt 85 | RT 85-ton rough terrain crane was a key player on one of the city’ s most ambitious urban renewal projects. For the Overlook Walk development, the crane provided precision lifting in a dense high-traffic environment.
The Overlook Walk, a decades-long initiative led by the Hoffman Construction Company of Portland, Oregon, is a pedestrian pathway linking Seattle’ s famous Pike Place Market to the city’ s evolving waterfront. The development features vendor spaces, event areas and a pedestrian bridge to the newly expanded Seattle Aquarium.
Navigating the logistics of this high-profile project required strategic equipment selection, noted John Hamilton, project manager at Hoffman. For its easy transportability and compact footprint, he related, Hoffman purchased the 85 | RT from Triad Machinery of Tacoma, Washington.“ The crane’ s efficient, straightforward setup and breakdown allowed us to maintain a compact and well-organized jobsite,” he added.
Other features of the Link-Belt 85 | RT that impressed Hoffman were the crane’ s 142 feet of greaseless boom, which provided needed capacities at radius. On the job, the machine was used to lift materials such as 7,000- pound boulders, precast benches, rebar bundles and 9,600-pound shoring tower flange beams from street level up a vertical incline to elevated walkways.
With the 85 | RT’ s Variable Confined Area Lifting Capacities( V-CALC) feature and multiple cameras, completing lifts in confined spaces and traveling down tight roadways was seamless for Hoffman. Hamilton also noted that features such as its four-link rear suspension, all-wheel steering and LED lighting helped make navigating the congested jobsite simple.
Inside the cab, design features of the Link-Belt 85 | RT impressed crane operator Nick Jaramillo of Seattle-based Garner Construction, a contractor on the project. Of note were the RT’ s cab tilt, controls and Link-Belt Pulse 2.0 rated capacity limiter system for fine-tuning swing, winch and boom reaction speeds.
“ Those features ensured smooth, consistent lifts and operational precision,” Jaramillo said.“ They were critical for handling the diverse tasks required on-site. And you can quickly set it to your liking, and it’ s ready to work. Everything we needed to do with the 85 | RT, we could do.”
www. cranehotline. com • May 2025 31