A Hird lifting team has completed a glass lifting project that proved an excellent test of the capabilities of the Maeda spider crane selected to carry out the task.
A building contractor asked for Hird’s support to lift four glass panels, one weighing 400kg, at the property in a village near Leicester, in the East Midlands.
The main challenge, however, was getting a crane into position to carry out the lift. Access to the property was a gravel track down a steep slope, with a sharp bend at the bottom.
On top of that, lifting in to the site with a mobile crane from above the property was out of the question, because it was located on a main road with a school nearby.
Hird Appointed Person Carl Brennan, who planned the lift, said: “The 400kg weight of the largest piece of glass meant we needed to use a Maeda MC305 spider crane.
“But the steepness and narrowness of the access track was a challenge. We only had 20mm either side of the crane, and the client first had to build a retaining wall to support the crane’s weight.
“The turn at the bottom was still very tight, so we put a very experienced crane operator and slinger on the project to make sure it would be negotiated safely.
“This was a case where, at a different location, it would be a quite simple lift. But, with the multiple hazards we faced, we didn’t have as much room for manoeuvre. However, Hird takes pride in not walking away from a lifting challenge. We’ll always find way.”
The Maeda MC305 mini spider crane was combined with a Powr-Grip MRTA8 glass vacuum lifter. Once in position, the crane’s variable outriggers helped set up the crane optimally and safely.
The glass delivery lorry was then brought part of the way down the track, allowing the mini crane to slew around to pick up the glass and lift it down to where it was being installed in a new sun-room extension.
Controlling the glass as it was lifted from the lorry was also a challenge. The uneven slope meant it was resting at an angle so was at risk of swinging out of control as it was lifted.
However, the lift went according to plan. All four pieces of glass – the other three weighed 240kg each – were lifted into position safely over two days.
The Maeda MC305 mini spider crane has a maximum safe working load (SWL) of 2.98t, a maximum working height of 12.52m, and a maximum working radius of 12.16m, yet is just 1208mm wide.
A key feature that supported the lift was the ability of the crane operator to control the spider crane remotely, allowing him to stand in exactly the right place to view the lift.
The MRTA8 glass vacuum lifter has a maximum lifting capacity of 635kg. It can be fitted with the Woods Powr-Grip Intelli-Grip system that monitors the load, improving lift safety and battery life.
It allows the load to be rotated through 360 degrees and tilted though 90 degrees for precision glass installation. Hird can supply vacuum lifters with lifting weights from 135kg to 3500kg.
The Maeda MC305 spider crane is one of a range in the Hird mini crane hire fleet, from the Maeda MC174, with a SWL of 1.72t, to the Maeda MC815, with a SWL of 8t.
Hird can supply three mini cranes – the MC285 (SWL 2.82t), MC305 (SWL 2.98t) and MC405 (SWL 3.83t) – with a Wirth Oktopus glazing manipulator which can lift up to 600kg, depending on its configuration.
All Hird Maeda mini cranes and glass lifting machines can be hired nationally through our four depots: Southern, including London, in Redhill, Surrey; Western, in Halesowen, West Midlands; Central, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire; and Northern, in Hull, East Yorkshire.
Hird can hire mini cranes with or without an operator or manage a complete lift or multiple lifts in a lifting project as a contract lift.
Northern
01482 227333
Central
01302 341659
Western
01384 900388
Southern
0203 174 0658
Email: [email protected]
