A company came to us with the need to lift a very large piece of machinery they build with a weight of up to 60 tons. The problem was the hook height needed to lift this unit was not possible in their shipping area and the 30 ton crane that existed in the area could not be upgraded cost effectively. We reviewed what was being lifted and how the lift attached at the lower four corners of the machine, leaving a very top-heavy load.

We offered and provided a freestanding crane system on poured concrete foundations below the existing crane system. This system consisted of two 30 ton capacity cranes, each with two 15 ton capacity hoists. A monitoring system communicated with each hoist. Because four hoists were used to lift, the hitch point was near the four lower corners. This allowed a higher lift because there was no rigging to a single hook. The major issue with a lift of this sort is with a high center of gravity, if one or more hoists stopped or operated at different speeds, the load could be tipped over. The monitoring system controls all four hoists and will not allow operation if it senses any issues. It also sums the total weight of the load while protecting each hoist from an overload. To lift the load, all that was required was to hitch and individually tension all four points, switch to four hoist operation and lift the load. The monitor watches for any issues and will cease to function or correct any issue while lifting and lowering. The system met the customer’s needs.