Aug. 2, 2023 - Sims Crane & Equipment Co. has taken delivery of the first Tadano GT-800XL-2 truck crane in the United States.
Tadano launched the new 80-USt capacity truck crane and its bigger brother, the 120-USt GT-1200XL-2, at the ConExpo trade show in Las Vegas in March.
Both new truck cranes are designed specifically to meet the needs of North America, according to Tadano.
The GT-800XL-2 truck crane features a five-section 154.3’ full-power telescopic boom, 33.1’-58.1’ bifold lattice jib, and self-removable counterweight.
Also, low axle weights and narrow travel widths make it easy to get the GT-800XL-2 and GT-1200XL-2 permits for road travel, making them ideal for taxi crane service.
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Sims has been leasing and selling cranes to contractors across Florida for more than six decades.
Its fleet already included several Tadano all-terrain cranes, and now includes the continent’s first GT-800XL-2 truck crane, as well.
Sims Crane & Equipment Co. Vice President Jackson Sims is excited about the new addition.
“We have been hoping for many years now to see Tadano enter back into the U.S. truck crane market and have been loaded with anticipation from the day they announced the GT-800XL-2 and the GT-1200XL-2,” said Sims. “This is a space we have been needing to update in our fleet and are happy to be able to do this with the Tadano product. Sims looks forward to adding many more units in this class to our Florida and Georgia markets over the coming years and are honored to be the first in the US to do so with the GT-800XL-2 which we will put into action at our Tampa location.”
Tadano America Regional Business Manager Todd Elkins added, “We are thrilled that the first of Tadano's new truck cranes for the United States and Canada markets has gone to Sims. The GT-800XL-2 is an outstanding machine, and it will be the perfect taxi crane for Sims' customer base across Florida and Georgia."
The GT-800XL-2 is designed to provide customers with superior utilization, return on investment, and lower cost of ownership, thanks in part to its being equipped with many of the same field-proven, reliable components as Tadano’s GR Series rough terrain cranes.
Tadano America Vice President of Sales Ken Butz is pleased that the truck crane line is making its debut with Sims, "All of us at Tadano America Corp. are extremely proud to have Sims Crane and Equipment Co. as our partner to help launch the new Tadano truck crane lineup in North America,” said Butz. “Tadano’s history of providing excellent quality crane products together with Sims Crane’s dedication to providing service excellence makes this a winning combination and a great value for our customers.”
In photo, from left: Todd Elkins (Tadano), Michael Howard (Sims), Derek Sather (Sims), Deborah Weber (Sims), Michael Kuffermann (Sims), Dan Melnyk (Tadano).