Product of the Month – Hydraulica 500 GRCS cladding lifter

Stone cladding remains a highly popular method for creating durable and attractive facades for modern buildings.

Which is why our Product of the Month for September is the our new Kappel Hydraulica 500 GRCS stone and GRC vacuum lifter.

The Hydraulica 500 GRCS is a key piece of equipment in our expanding range of vacuum stone lifters and delivers significant advantages over other lifting methodologies.

It has a maximum lifting capacity of 500kg and is designed specifically to be able to flexibly lift irregular sized loads.

This is a critical advantage when stone cladding is often cut to size to accommodate different structural elements, for example around window apertures and doorways.

We have identified 6 key advantaged the Hydraulica 500 GRCS stone and glass reinforced concrete (GRC) vacuum lifter provides for cladding and façade installation specialists.

2. Safety

The battery-powered stone vacuum lifter is the simplest and safest way to lift large stone cladding loads.

Once the load is held, it requires almost no manual handling. The cladding can be smoothly guided into place with millimetre precision and held safely while it is being fixed into position.

3. Material protection

Minimal manual handling and superb load control adds up to the Hydraulica 500 GRCS stone lifter also being the optimum way to protect loads and surrounded surfaces from damage during the cladding process.

With building materials becoming increasingly expensive – not least natural stone that may be supplied in large sheets – and productivity a key issue, minimising the risk of load and structure damage is a key priority.

4. Productivity

So, let’s cover off this issue. Using a Hydraulica 500 GRCS stone and GRC lifter, reducing manual handling,  allows façade installers to deploy smaller work teams.

By simplifying the lifting process also accelerates cladding installation. These two advantages equate to doing more with less. At a time when contractors are having real difficulty recruiting and keeping skilled operatives, this can be a gamechanger.

5. Control

All the advantages above are underpinned by the excellent load control the Hydraulica 500 GRCS stone and GRC vacuum lifter delivers.

Loads can be power rotated through 360 degrees and tilted through 90 degrees for precise positioning reading for fixing into place.

Each of the vacuum lifters 10 suction pads have independent shut off valves to accommodate different sized and shaped loads.

The stone vacuum lifter is operated by a wired remote control, so the whoever has their finger on the button can stand in exactly the right place to maximise safety and productivity.

6. Sustainability

The attributes detailed point to the Hydraulica 500 GRCS stone and GRC vacuum lifter being a very sustainable sheet stone lifting device.

It is battery electric powered, so is a low-carbon, low noise lifting solution. It delivers the simplest approach to stone cladding installation, with the least effort and optimised safety.

Smaller installation teams and a single lifting methodology indicate a solution that has a smaller physical footprint, as  well as a smaller carbon one, which makes it less disruptive, another sustainability attribute.

Stone lifter hire range

The Hydraulica 500 GRCS is one of a growing number of stone and cladding vacuum lifters Hird is adding to its lifting hire fleet, to complement the large range of glass vacuum lifters available.

Others include the DSKE2 GRCS stone vacuum lifter, which has six suction pads and can lift loads of up to  can lift loads of up to 300kg.

Hird can also supply the DXRT600B GRCS stone vacuum lifter. It can lift stone or GRC weighing up to 600kg, including materials of varying porosity.

At the even heavier end of the scale, there is the SK1000 stone lifter, with a maximum safe working load of 1,000kg. It is ideal for lifting stone blocks, kerbstones, slabs and even pipes.

Remember, all these stone vacuum lifters will also lift drywall, cladding panels and plasterboard with ease, which often makes them a one-stop solution for lifting and installing sheeted material.

Find out more

Ask the experts at Hird today about selecting the best stone vacuum lifter for your installation project. All our stone lifters are available from our depots across the UK, along with RTITB-accredited operator training.

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