Case Studies

In May 2018 Universal Cranes was approached by Precision Rigging & Logistics to provide a solution to remove and replace a chiller unit situated on the 28^th floor of a popular and centrally located hotel in Brisbane’s CBD.

Universal Cranes provided a total project solution from engineering a custom rigging and lift plan to planning and permitting coordination, through to supply of the crane and ancillary equipment and qualified operators to conduct the lift.

The 5t chiller unit had to be removed and replaced via a main access window on level 28, 90m above ground level. The window also required removal and replacement on the day of the lift. This presented a major challenge to the job, with the access window being extremely narrow requiring precise maneuvering of the load.

Further to this constraint, the lifts needed to be scheduled on a weekend requiring part closure of Adelaide Street With a limited closure time, thorough planning and execution of the lifts was critical.

A custom lifting and rigging solution was engineered by Universal Cranes, with the lift plan incorporating Universal Cranes’ purpose-built half container complete with custom locking system. The locking system was designed to eliminate the risk of the lifters becoming accidentally detached. This was utilised alongside the latest smart technology for a precise, safe and efficient lift.

Universal Cranes’ rigging solution incorporated the R-Series spreader developed by Verton Group. At approximately 90m from ground, controlling the rotation of the load would be difficult, but with R-Series the loads were able to be lifted from and delivered to precise GPS coordinates. This technology, when combined with our custom Locking System for the container lifters, provided precise rotation of the load at the 90m lift height.

The Verton R-Series spreader is the world’s first remote-controlled electromechanical load-management system. The R-Series uses ROVER (Remotely Operated Variable Effort Rotator) to overcome the often-problematic need for human held taglines to control free-swinging or suspended loads. This provided improved safety outcomes, as the Riggers could stand well clear of the suspended load using a mobile phone or tablet with user-friendly interface, enabling them to focus on making critical in-flight lift decisions.

The chiller unit was skated into the purpose-built half container that was lifted into position using the Liebherr LTM1350. After securing the chiller unit inside the container, it was then lifted down onto Adelaide Street and unloaded. The new units were then lifted and skated into position.

The lift was conducted within the strict timeframe with minimal traffic disruption, and with excellent feedback from our client. “This innovative idea ensured we kept complete control of the load whilst hoisting the cage to the impressive working height of 90m”, Luke Williams, Managing Director of Precision Rigging said.

 Key equipment utilised:

• Liebherr LTM1350
• Verton R-Series spreader – the world’s first remote-controlled electromechanical load-management system
• Universal Cranes custom-built half container with locking system

For more information about the capability of the Liebherr LTM1350, please click here.