Raymond Excavating, Marysville, Mich., has expanded its fleet with a new five-axle, 240-USt Grove GMK5200-1 all-terrain crane.
Grove dealer Walter Payton Power Equipment supplied the GMK5200-1 to Raymond, building on a partnership of more than 13 years.
Raymond Excavating bought the Grove GMK5200-1 all-terrain crane to meet the needs of customers in eastern, central, and southeastern Michigan.
Upon delivery in March of 2016, the new Grove crane was immediately put to work in a variety of lifting jobs, including placement of HVAC units, large concrete box culverts, and installation of communication towers that stand as tall as 200 ft.
The recent purchase of the GMK5200-1 comes 48 years after Raymond bought its first Grove, a 15-USt TM215 truck-mounted crane, which enabled the business to introduce lifting services to its customers.
Today, all of Raymond’s nine cranes are either Grove or National Crane brands, both part of the Manitowoc family.
Raymond's owner and president Dave Burgess said: “We count on cranes that can meet our capacity needs while being able to easily travel on regional roads in this part of Michigan. The GMK5200-1 delivers on both fronts. Its 240-USt capacity is plenty for most of our customers’ needs, and its mobility allows us to access job sites where other cranes might have a harder time fitting.”
Raymond Excavating was founded in 1954 by current president David Burgess' father, Raymond Burgess, who has retired but still maintains an office on the premises.
“There are many relationships between Raymond Excavating and its customers that go back to when the company was started,” said Mike Meagher, crane specialist at Walter Payton Power Equipment. “Those relationships are at the heart of its business model of dependable and consistent service. The family works together to ensure the quality that their longtime customers have come to expect.”
Brandon Burgess, vice president of Raymond Excavating since 2012 and son of Dave Burgess, recalled the reliable support his company has received over the last 13 years from Riverdale, Illinois-based Walter Payton.
“Our experience with Walter Payton has been that of a true partnership,” he said. “We always have good results when crane technicians are needed. Many times we can reach them by cell phone and solve a problem quickly that way, or at least buy us some time until they can get to the crane.”
Rolled out in 2015, the five-axle Grove GMK5200-1 was one of the first mobile cranes to feature the VIAB turbo clutch module, which eliminates fluid overheating and clutch burning while also delivering improved fuel economy, maneuverability, and driver comfort. It works with the carrier's integrated retarder to provide wear-free braking and starting.
The GMK5200-1's other key features include interchangeable counterweight slabs, a self-rigging auxiliary hoist, and a 210-ft. boom that better reach and higher capacities than many competing five-axle cranes.
Raymond Excavating specializes in several kinds of construction, including road building, sewer and water mains, pipelines, and other residential, commercial, and industrial work. Although the company lays claim to six subsidiaries, most of Raymond Excavating’s jobs are within 100 miles of Marysville, in eastern Michigan.
“We are a very busy, hard-working family for sure,” reiterated Dave Burgess. “But we don’t work that way because we have to, we work that way because we love it.”
Walter Payton Power Equipment, a Grove, National Crane, and Manitowoc dealer and service center, is the largest crane and heavy-equipment distributor in the Midwest with full-service facilities in Riverdale, Lebanon and Evansville Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; and Taylor, Mich.
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