Grove RT875E works in Wisconsin, US

A Grove RT875E rough-terrain crane is being used in the renovation of a glass-sided office building in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, US. The crane is erecting steel beams and delivering pallets of glass panes.

The relatively small footprint - just over 17 feet wide with outriggers fully extended - of the RT875E, combined with its reach, were the main reasons the crane model was chosen for the job. It is configured with a swing-away extension, which offers 184 feet of reach.

The remodeling project consists of removing two angled, glass atriums, which were not energy efficient. The atriums trapped so much heat that the building had to be cooled even in the middle of Wisconsin's cold winters. Additionally, due to the design of the atriums, a large amount of potential revenue-generating space was underutilized.

Contractor Findorff Construction deconstructed the atriums and is now building out the two areas to create 15,000 square feet of rentable commercial space where the atriums once stood. The building is located in a city center across from the state's capitol building.

Job superintendent Greg Sweeney said traffic, pedestrians and adjacent office buildings made crane choice and placement challenging. "It was essential to keep the crane off the street to avoid blocking traffic," he said. "So, we needed to find a crane that would fit into a small space between two buildings, but also offer the reach we needed to pick and deliver materials."

The RT875E is rated at 75 US tons and has a four-section, full-power boom with variable reach from 41 to 128 feet. Its 33 to 56 foot offsettable, bifold, swingaway extension increases maximum tip height to 192 feet.