All together on Lake Erie
19 March 2008
In the US All Erection & Crane Rental Corp used mobile cranes lifting in tandem to set a 184 foot pedestrian bridge across a Lake Erie bay.
It was touted as a “job that couldn't be done” before All Erection found a solution for the new Bayfront Convention Center project. Factors included detailed planning, close cooperation between crane company and engineers, All's lift-planning software, and experienced crane operators, All said.
A 350 ton (318 tonne) hydraulic truck crane from All Crane Rental of Pennsylvania and a 300 ton (272 tonne) hydraulic crane from All headquarters in Cleveland worked in tandem to set the 136,000 pound (68 tonne) bridge. The plan was to lift the bridge span across the harbour then readjust the rigging so both ends could be grabbed by the two cranes. Each crane would then control its end to the points where erectors were waiting to fasten the walkway into place.
Adding to the complexity of the job was ensuring that there was enough room to manoeuvre the bridge to connect with the assist crane as well as determining the proper angle of each boom to set the bridge.