Grove Crane Installs Vatican Christmas Tree

Dec. 19, 2021 - Italian rental company I.B.A. Crane has installed the Vatican’s main Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square using a Grove GMK5250L-1 all-terrain crane.

The crane’s compactness and efficient operation led I.B.A. to chose the five-axle 250-t  (275-USt) capacity mobile crane for this prestigious task.

The Grove GMK5250L-1 has a 70 m (230’), seven-section telescopic boom with Twin-Lock pinning. In general, it offers impressive performance and flexibility, as well as logistical advantages due to its self-rigging auxiliary hoist and counterweight plates, which are interchangeable with those of other Grove all-terrain cranes.

“In this case, the application did not require any special configuration, as is necessary on construction sites, but the efficiency of the GMK5250L-1 all-terrain crane, together with its logistical advantages, enabled us to lift and position the tree both quickly and accurately,” said Massimiliano Di Stefano, general manager of I.B.A. Crane.

The 113-year-old tree, donated by the Sustainable Forest Authority of Trentino Alto Adige, is 28 m (92’) tall and weighs approximately 8 t (8.8 USt). It was illuminated on Dec. 10 and will remain in St. Peter’s Square until Jan. 9, 2022.