Product of the Month – glass vacuum lifters
We’ve got a feeling we’re biting off more than we can chew with our first Product of the Month for 2024 – because it’s ALL our glass vacuum lifters.
January is the month for tightening the belt, isn’t it? And we’re presenting you with a festive feast (at least a smorgasbord) of all that’s best in glass lifting.
From the glazing delicacy of the Wood’s Powr-Grip MT2 (max lifting capacity 135kg) to the gargantuan plateful that is the Kappel Hydraulica 8000 (it can lift a glass sheet weighing more than four Mini cars) there are vacuum lifters for all tastes and needs. Just no turkeys.
Cladding lifter hire
Hird has built up one of the biggest and most varied fleets of glass vacuum lifters in the UK. The range has been continuously expanded, refined, and improved in line with customer need and technical developments.
We’re going to focus on glass vacuum lifters for this PoTM. But, for the record, Hird also has a cladding vacuum lifter hire service, with kit that includes the Righetti Series CL1-4, with a maximum capacity of 250kg, and the Righetti Series CL1-6, which can lift up to 400kg.
Hird also has a stone and glass reinforced concrete (GRC) lifter hire service, with lifters that include the Kappel DSKE2 GRCS stone lifter, with a maximum capacity of 300kg, and the SK1000 stone lifter, that can lift stone, including polished stone, weighing up to 1,000kg.
Glass vacuum lifter innovation
Glass vacuum lifting has developed rapidly over the last 20 years. The capabilities and capacities of glass lifters have expanded greatly. We’re pleased to have contributed to this process.
Building design is constantly evolving. The use of architectural glass has become more widespread. Glass panels have become larger, more complex and heavier.
Security standards, including proofing buildings against terrorist attacks, have become more stringent. Glass vacuum lifter manufacturers have had to work hard to keep up.
Hird has supported this development process. We work with manufacturers to design new glass vacuum lifters that make glass installation easier, safer and faster and, in some cases, possible.
This means members of the Hird glass vacuum lifter technical team have unrivalled expertise in advising and supporting the many glazing specialists we work with.
Glass vacuum lifter range
It also means our glass vacuum lifter hire fleet has a huge range of equipment, from the ‘bread and butter’ standard lifters that glazing installers rely on for many standard projects, to others that push the boundaries of what’s possible in glass lifting.
Here are a few examples of what we’re talking about:
Wood’s Powr-Grip MRT4
The Wood’s Powr-Grip MRT4 is one of our most popular vacuum lifters, with a maximum capacity of 320kg. Its four suction cups can be configured differently to fit the size and shape of glass panels, aided by the use of extension arms.
Kappel DSKE2
Another one of our very popular glass vacuum lifters, the Kappel DSKE2 can be converted between a four and six in line lifter with a maximum capacity of 450kg. It is ideal for installing over lights, with a short eye hook that supports installation under overhangs.
Bohle Liftmaster Quadro 800 Pro
This is one of Hird’s newest glass vacuum lifters. It has a maximum lifting capacity and is one of the first glass lifters on the market to achieve GS certification, a highly respected safety standards in Germany. As with the MRT4, the Bohle Liftmaster Quadro 800 has multiple configurations, with all cabling and vacuum hoses protected inside the lifting arms.
Wirth Oktopus GL-KN-1000
This lightweight vacuum lifter with a maximum capacity of 1,000kg has a remotely controlled vacuum system making it more easer and more flexible to use. Its extension arms support lifting of panels of different sizes and shapes.
Kappel Adjustable Fin Lifter
A vacuum lifter designed by Hird and exclusively manufactured for us as well. It can start as an eight in line lifter with a capacity of 1.320kg and can be extended up to 9m with 24 suction cups and a maximum capacity of 1,800kg. It has 210-degree manual lockable rotation and can be remotely tilted from vertical to horizontal.
Kappel Hydraulica 3500
Another vacuum lifter designed and manufactured with Hird technical support, the Kappel Hydraulica 3500, also known as The Brutus, has a maximum capacity of 3500kg and is ideal for lifting large panels being installed in both high-rise offices and luxury homes.
Kappel Hydraulica 8000
With a lifting capacity of 8,000kg, this is the largest capacity glass vacuum lifter available for hire in the UK to date. It has 360-degree powered rotation and 90-degree powered hydraulic tilt and, like our other lifters, dual independent vacuum circuits to ensure the load is held at all times.
Curved glass vacuum lifter hire
All the glass vacuum lifters detailed above are designed for flat sheets of glass. Technical advances in glass manufacturing and the creative urges of architects have increased the amount of curved panels that need to be installed.
Hird has kept up with this trend and now has an entire curved vacuum lifter hire fleet – with lifters ranging from the Wirth GB2 Curved (maximum capacity of 300kg) to the Kappel Hydraulica 2100, which can lift sheets weighing up to 2,100kg.
Like other glass vacuum lifters in our fleet, individual cups can be switched off to accommodate irregularly-shaped panels.
Mini crane hire
If you have a glass lifter, you need something to lift it. This is why Hird also has one of the UK’s largest fleets of mini cranes – Valla pick and carry cranes, Maeda spider canes, UNIC spider cranes, and counterbalance floor cranes.
They can be combined with our glass vacuum lifters to provide our customers with the optimum lifting system, whatever the glass lifting challenge, supported by a wide range of glass trolleys.
Glass vacuum lifter training
Hird does not just supply glass vacuum lifters for hire. We also provide high quality accredited training in how to use them. Our training team is accredited to deliver the RTITB below the hook vacuum lifter course.
RTITB certification is valid for three years and can be renewed with refresher training. Hird delivers the course at all three operational hubs – in Redhill, Surrey, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and Hull, East Yorkshire.
Find out more
All Hird’s glass vacuum lifters are also available for hire nationally. Call our friendly and expert glass vacuum lifter hire team to discuss your requirements.
Email: [email protected]