Tusker Group buys five new Grove all-terrains for Irish fleet

John Lennon, Seamus Lennon and John Lennon Sr of Tusker Construction Group with a new Grove GMK5120L all-terrain crane

Five new Grove all-terrains mark a change of course for Ireland’s Tusker Construction Group

County Monaghan-based Tusker Construction Group has added five new Grove all-terrain cranes – a 300-tonne GMK6300L-1, two GMK5120Ls and two GMK3060L-1s – ending its long-standing policy of buying used machines. All were supplied by Irish dealer Irlequip.

John Ledwith of Irlequip, John Lennon of Tusker Construction Group and Pier Domenico Ravera of Manitowoc at the Grove crane handover

Tusker has run Grove mobile cranes for years, both in its rental fleet and on its own construction sites, and historically sourced well-kept used examples from several suppliers, Irlequip among them. In 2025 the family-owned firm changed tack, deciding that its next fleet additions would be factory-new machines.

Five cranes across three classes

After weighing up several options, the company settled on an all-Grove package supplied and serviced by Irlequip, the brand’s dealer for Ireland. The order comprises one six-axle GMK6300L-1, two five-axle GMK5120Ls and two three-axle GMK3060L-1s, all of which are available for projects across Ireland and the UK.

The 300-tonne GMK6300L-1 carries an 80 m main boom and offers up to 120 m of reach with its 37 m jib and boom extension. The 120-tonne GMK5120L pairs a 66 m main boom with a 9.4–16 m bi-fold swingaway jib and comes with Grove’s Crane Control System (CCS) and MAXbase variable outrigger positioning, while flexible counterweight options keep it road-legal in taxi configuration. The 60-tonne GMK3060L-1, the most compact crane in its class, shares the CCS and MAXbase package and mounts a 48 m main boom plus an 8.7–15 m bi-fold swingaway jib.

“We’ve long enjoyed the performance and productivity of Grove cranes, but we saw an opportunity to achieve higher utilization, lower downtime, and reduced running costs by switching to new models. So we worked with the guys at Irlequip to get the right mix of machines and can already feel the benefits. With the GMK6300L-1, we’ve added a proven leader in its class; while the five-axle and three-axle models are perfect for our rental fleet and are continually busy.”

— John Lennon, managing director, Tusker Group

Dealer backing sealed the deal

Irlequip provides an extended warranty and full aftersales support for every Grove crane in the Tusker fleet, backed by Manitowoc’s global customer support organisation. The dealer says the route from used to new is a familiar one among its customers.

“We provide full customer support for Grove crane owners in Ireland. 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. We’ve got a fully equipped workshop, a significant value of spare parts stock, and a team of technicians who support customers every day. We tell customers ‘we support what we sell’ and we mean it.”

— John Ledwith, director, Irlequip

Established in 1995, Tusker Construction Group is a family-owned business based in County Monaghan, serving commercial and residential customers throughout Ireland.

Facts

  • Grove GMK6300L-1: 300 t, six axles, 80 m main boom, up to 120 m reach with 37 m jib
  • 2× Grove GMK5120L: 120 t, five axles, 66 m main boom, 9.4–16 m bi-fold swingaway jib
  • 2× Grove GMK3060L-1: 60 t, three axles, 48 m main boom, 8.7–15 m bi-fold swingaway jib
  • Supplied and serviced by Irlequip, Grove dealer for Ireland
  • Duties: rental and construction work across Ireland and the UK

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