We love working with customers right up until the completion of their site. Often our gear can be some of the last to leave, especially when it comes to last minute interior fit-outs and installations. You would think the challenges would be building the structure, but occasionally removing gear from a site can also require some clever thinking solutions as discovered in this case study
Overview
With construction drawing to a close for EQ Constructions at their beautiful new build, The Lennox Parramatta, it was time to pack up and get our gear back to branch. That is easier said than done when 2 EWP’s and a 4 Tonne mini crane remain on the 3rd floor! With tenants set to move into the newly built apartment building in the coming weeks, we needed to get moving.
Challenges
There were a number of challenges in removing our gear from the 3rd floor whilst ensuring none of the brand new interiors were damaged in the process. We had three specific problems for extracting the machines:
1. A very tight pinch point area for the crane to be driven through
2. Positioning of the crane
3. The angle of the boom
Our Solution
The first challenge was a very tight pinch point area for the crane to be driven through. With only approx.100mm in width and 200mm in height, to say it was a ‘tight squeeze’ would be an understatement. In the words of our top man on site, Mark Davidson, “It’s not a precise process adjusting 22 tonnes of crane, 8.5m in length!” Ultimately the decision was made to remove a section of the obstruction to ensure the crane could be removed safely for everyone involved and limit any potential damage to the new build.
The second challenge was to position the crane exactly on top of a main supporting beam with one outrigger and the other on the propped position whilst steering clear of the stairs behind, leading to the river below. Adding to this was our third challenge being the angle of the boom. The Boom had to clear the 1st floor slab and extend far enough to be centred over the various loads without encroaching on the slab above. This required some very precise driving and dogging from the Preston Hire team, time, patience and of course experience which our team thankfully has by the bucket load.
We also had to consider that each machine being moved had different lifting points and required re-rigging multiple times to ensure all obstacles were cleared and the set-up was appropriate for each machine. Upon completion, 2 EWP’s and the heaviest of the lot, the 3.8tonne mini crane were all safely removed and taken off-site.
Summary
The end result was successfully lifting each of the machines out of the building safely and efficiently with minimal disturbance to the completed project. It was definitely a team effort with thanks to the team at EQ Constructions and a special thanks to our NSW branch team for their experience and solutions based approach to getting the job done.
