All electric Maeda crane is glass lifting hero in ‘Gotham City’

Sustainable lifting was one of the key advantages that led to the two Maeda MC-285CB-3 ECO spider cranes being selected to support the glazing teams working on 40 Leadenhall Street.

The 34-storey glass-clad building recalls the classic north American skyscrapers of the early 20^th Century and has already been dubbed Gotham City.

The lithium battery powered Maeda MC285CB-3 ECO mini cranes are being used to install 3.7m-long window units, each weighing 450kg, being fitted on all floors, except some areas on level one.

The standard procedure has been for the Maeda mini cranes to pick up the glazed units, which have built-in lifting points, from the floor below and then lower them to be installed on the next floor down.

Hird Director John Wilding says: “We’re very pleased to get the opportunity to support such a large and important development at the heart of London’s famous Square Mile.

“Our Maeda electric mini cranes are just as capable as the conventional diesel Maeda spider cranes in our mini crane hire fleet.

“However, they provide zero emission and low carbon footprint operations that forward-thinking construction contractors and developers now want, to match their sustainability commitments and zero carbon targets.

“Battery run-time for the Maeda MC285CB-3 ECO spider crane is up to eight hours, depending on usage. And it can be charged off a 110v 16amp standard plug while the machine is being operated, so there is no charging downtime.

“It means the spider cranes provide high-performance and continuous lifting duties to the world class standard expected from Maeda, while delivering all the sustainability advantages of all-electric operation.”

Excellent negative duty

The Maeda MC285CB-3 ECO spider crane has a maximum safe working load of 2.82t, a maximum working height of 8.7m and a maximum working radius of 8.2m.

The mini crane can be fitted with an 850kg searcher hook and can be wirelessly remote controlled to allow the operator to control lifts from the optimum position.

It weighs 1995kg and has variable outriggers to make best use of space, especially in constrained and uneven environments. All functions can be controlled via a 7-inch colour digital screen.

The Maeda MC285CB-3 ECO spider crane delivers excellent negative lift duties, from a 4-fall lift with a maximum SWL of 2.82kg down to 10.1m to a single fall lift with a SWL of 900kg down to 100m.

Iconic buildings

Its extremely smooth controls are ideally-suited to glass installation where glazing units must be placed with millimetre precision, and when productivity for such a large project is a key concern.

Hird can also provide an all-electric Maeda MC305 spider crane with a maximum SWL of 2.98t, a maximum working height of 12.5m and a maximum working radius of 12.16m.

40 Leadenhall Street is located in the City of London’s insurance district next to three other iconic tall buildings – the Cheesegrater, the Walkie Talkie and the Gerkin – all of which were built with the help of Hird lifting equipment.

The skyscraper will have 909,600ft² (84,500m²) of floor space, of which 15% will be open to public access, with shops, bars and restaurants on lower floors.