A tracked spider crane hired from Hird has proved it has all the ingredients needed to work in a highly confined space inside a food factory.
The Maeda MC285 mini crane was needed to lift insulation boards into place as part of a food production area reconfiguration project.
Members of the project team were impressed with the manoeuvrability and lifting capacity of the spider crane, which enabled the lift to be carried out safely and in a timely manner.
The Maeda MC285 mini crane has a maximum safe working load (SWL) of 2.82 tonnes and a maximum working radius of 8.2 metres.
As the spider crane is just 750mm wide when stowed for transport, it can be tracked through a single doorway to reach a lift location.
For this project, the key challenge was moving the crane around complex food manufacturing machinery and setting it up to carry out the lift in a space where there were high level obstructions.
The tracked spider crane was combined with a cladding panel vacuum lifter to lift the insulation panels into place.
Machinery installation and moving lifts and site reconfiguration projects in food factories must often be completed in challenging time periods due to production schedules.
Hird Managing Director Phil Hird said: “In these conditions, being able to use a Maeda mini crane accelerates the lifting process with no compromise on safety or lift productivity.
“Using precisely the right lifting equipment and plan also reduces manual handling, allowing factory lifting project like this to be completed cost-effectively with least disruption and least risk.”
The Maeda MC285 tracked spider crane
is also equipped with all the latest lift safety and productivity
measures, including a load moment limiter and tilt sensors and alarms.
It is one of a range of Maeda mini cranes in the Hird tracked spider crane hire fleet. The smallest, the MC174, has a maximum SWL of 1.72 tonnes. The largest, the MC815, can lift up to 8 tonnes.
The cranes can be fitted with a selection of accessories, including fly jibs, winches and vacuum lifters, for tasks that include steel erection, glass lifting and machinery moving.
For more information about tracked spider crane hire options for food factory lifting and all other projects, call Hird today.
Northern 01482 227333
Central 01302 341659
Southern 0203 174 0658
Email: info@hird.co.uk
