Boing! And now the news. A counterbalance floor crane from Hird has been used to build a giant model of the Elizabeth Tower.
The famous landmark, which is part of the Houses of Parliament, and holds Big Ben, was made with 344,020 LEGO bricks.
Hird supplied a Wienold SLK25 counterbalance floor crane for the task of constructing the scale model at the world’s largest LEGO store in Leicester Square, London.
The easy-to-use materials hoist proved it was up to the challenge, as the it was featured in a Channel 4 Christmas programme about the opening of the new store.
The LEGO version of the Elizabeth Tower weighed 1,035kg by the time it was completed.
Sections of the model had to be lifted carefully into place with millimetre accuracy, which made the SLK25 counterbalance floor crane perfect for the task.
Hird Director John Wilding said: “The SLK25 counterbalance floor crane can be set up in a small amount of space, which is ideal for working on a shop floor.
“It is also a precision lifting machine. Loads can be very closely controlled, which was essential for this LEGO project, as the slightest jolt could have had disastrous consequences.”
The SLK 25 is a flexible lightweight counterbalance hoist which has a maximum lifting capacity of 300kg.
This was more than enough to construct the Elizabeth Tower, well this smaller version of it! The team of six LEGO construction specialists took 2,735 hours to build the model.
It now towers over other attractions in LEGO’s 131st store, including a LEGO underground train, a LEGO guardsman, and a LEGO telephone box.
The SLK25 counterbalance floor crane comes with a handy crane boom attachment, which was used in this mini construction project, or can be fitted with forks or a load platform.
It has swivel casters for easy transporting and precise positioning, and can be quickly dismantled to fit into a van.
The materials hoist can be fitted with a range of glass vacuum lifters or a winch to lift a range and place a range of different materials.
John Wilding said: “As things stand, we do not have a specialist attachment for LEGO bricks, but if we are commissioned to help build more amazing LEGO structures, we will certainly consider designing one!”
The original Elizabeth Tower (often mistakenly called Big Ben) is 96m tall and 12m square. It was built with 2,600 m3 of bricks and 850 m3 of stone.
For more information about Hird’s comprehensive range of counterbalance floor cranes and material lifts, contact us today. All equipment in our counterbalance floor crane hire fleet is available nationally via our three regional operating hubs.
Northern 01482 227333
Central 01302 341659
Southern 0203 174 0658
Email: [email protected]
Hero Image – Simeon87 – Creativecommons
