Mini crane assists on lock project

A Unic mini spider crane from GGR Group, has helped assist with repair works on Buscot Weir lock, Oxfordshire, UK.

For the project, the 6 tonne capacity Unic URW-706 mini crane lifted two 2.5 tonne lock gates, each 4 metres high by 2.5 m wide, out of the lock so they could be repaired.

To access the lock gates the mini crane, which weighs 7.9 tonnes, was placed on a purpose-built pontoon and towed 550 m along the water by a motor boat, the company said. Once in an accessible position, the URW-706 had to straddle a 5 m gap over the lock.

The lock, built in 1790, is the smallest on the River Thames, measuring 33.47 m long. It is now a National Trust place of beauty.