With the year-end holiday season about to begin, a Grove GMK5250L-1 all-terrain crane has been put into service by Italian rental company to install the main Christmas tree in the Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square.

The rental company entrusted with the job is I.B.A. Crane, which also has branches and operations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It received the five-axle 250t capacity mobile crane from Central and Southern Italian Grove dealer FIMI in December 2020 and chose the crane to complete this prestigious task because of its convenient, compact dimensions and efficient operation.

The Grove GMK5250L-1 has a 70m, 7-section main boom and TWIN-LOCK boom pinning system. According to Manitowoc, which owns the Grove brand, 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 other Grove all-terrain cranes.

Massimiliano Di Stefano, general manager of I.B.A. Crane, said: “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.”

The 113-year-old tree, donated by the Sustainable Forest Authority of Trentino Alto Adige, is 28m tall and weighs approximately 8t. It was illuminated on December 10 and will remain in St. Peter’s Square until January 9 next year.