Spider cranes are proving their worth every day in a range of industries, as a recent contract lift task carried out by a spider crane supplied by Hird proved emphatically.
Our client needed a mini crane that was very compact and had a low bearing weight. After carrying out a site survey, we suggested the Maeda MC 174 spider crane, available in the Hird mini crane hire fleet, would be ideal.
The task was to install roof beams in a stunning new building being constructed on a steep slope. The ingenious curved beams were designed to look like a wing.
The spider crane was perfect for the job because of the ground conditions and the limited space available to work in.
Spider cranes are designed to take up a very small amount of space when being transported or moved into position.
Tracked spider cranes, like the Maeda MC 174, can easily cross rough and sloping terrain often found on construction sites.
Once spider cranes are in place, outriggers are positioned to stabilise them, ready to lift.
The Maeda 174 spider mini crane is designed to be super-slim, with a width of just 590mm. The machine weighs 1,290kg.
But that load is shared across the spider crane’s four outriggers, so ground pressure exerted is minimised.
Maximum lifting capacity of these petrol or LPG powered spider mini cranes is 1.72 tonnes, with a maximum working height of 5.5m.
On this particular job, the spider crane was used to lift wooden beams weighing 300kg, with dimensions of 10m x 800mm x 150mm.
Spider cranes, like the Maeda 174, are proving their worth on construction sites like this, plus in a wide range of other applications, such as building maintenance and glass installation.
As well as providing spider cranes for hire or sale, Hird offers other support services to help clients complete projects successfully. These include: consultation and contract lifting; turnkey lifting; and access services.
In this case, Hird carried out a free site survey and provided a risk assessment, method statement, lift plan and insurance. We also provided a rigger and spider crane operator to carry out the lift.
Spider mini cranes are becoming increasingly popular across industry sectors as their flexibility, productivity and health and safety benefits become more widely recognised.
To find out more about Hird’s spider crane rental rates or the spider cranes we offer for sale, contact one of our three depots, providing a nationwide lifting service:
Northern – 01482 227333
Central – 01302 341659
Southern – 0203 174 0658
