From one icon to another – Hird gives veterans charity a big lift
The machinery moving team at Hird has helped a veterans charity by lifting a Hull icon, using an icon of lifting — a Valla pick and carry crane.
The team was tasked with lifting and moving a famous cream-coloured K6 phone box for digital communications provider KCOM and veterans charity Hull 4 Heroes.
Hird had previously worked alongside KCOM to lift an identical phone box shell for another local charity, so was asked to help with this project as well.
A Valla 20E TRX, which has a safe working load (SWL) of 2,000kg and working radius of 2.60m, was selected to carry out the lift.
‘No hesitation’ recommending Hird
A member of Hird’s machinery moving team used the mini crane to raise the almost 1-tonne telephone box, once a common sight across the Hull region, so it could be placed on one of Hird’s equipment transportation lorries using a forklift.
KCOM Community Impact Partner Louise Babych said: “We worked with the Hird team when we donated a K6 phone box to the Tigers Trust last year.
“These 100-year-old phone boxes need to be moved safely, in a way that that ensures they’re not damaged, and the Hird team has all the necessary equipment and expertise to make sure that happens.
“It was a pleasure to work with the team who, like us, love to support local charities. So I had no hesitation in recommending them to Hull 4 Heroes to deliver this phone box.”
Phil Harrison, Hird’s Appointed Person for the lift said: “We were very happy to be able to help both the Hull 4 Heroes charity and KCOM on this lift.
“The telephone box will help the charity’s work to support veterans and their families in the local community. We’re honoured to be able to help the charity and its volunteers in their great work.”
Carrying phone box up ramp
The cream-coloured phone boxes were once common sights in Hull, unlike the standard red ones in place across the rest of the UK.
Hull 4 Heroes had been looking forward to welcoming it into its community shop.
The charity has a support system for veterans and their families in the city and the surrounding region.
The K6 shell will have a new lease of life as part of a display of military paraphernalia at the front of the shop.
Hird’s team unloaded the phone box using the forklift.
The Valla 20E was then used again to carry the K6 shell up a ramp and into the Princes Quay shopping centre, demonstrating its gradeability.
Zero emissions for indoor lifting
As the pick and carry crane is just 950mm wide, it was narrow enough to move its load through the glass doors of the shopping centre.
The team then lowered the phone box on to the floor of the community shop with millimetre precision.
Hird has the largest Valla pick and carry crane hire fleet in Europe, with mini cranes that have SWLs from 2 tonnes to 25 tonnes.
Most are battery electric powered, providing zero emissions and low noise lifting, allowing their use within highly controlled, regulated and clean spaces.
Industry sectors Valla cranes are used in include food manufacturing, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and brewing, for a wide range of factory and processing plant maintenance and installation tasks.
Find out more
Discover more about Valla pick and carry crane hire service and our machinery moving service, both available across the UK.
Valla pick and carry cranes can be hired through our three regional operational hubs for fast delivery anywhere in the country.
Hird also delivers CPCS A66 training courses for Valla pick and carry cranes at our premises, or at our client’s sites if they are appropriate.
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