Historic Motor Mission
19 March 2008
An example of the diverse use of hydraulic gantries comes from crane and rigging company scholp, headquartered in Germany.
The task was to transfer two racing trucks into their display position inside the new Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The two trucks, weighing about 7,500 kg, had to be placed on a 4.5 m high, 60 degree slope in a 9 m-high second floor display room.
Scholpp chose its two smallest telescopic gantries for the work. They were linked by a pair of 15 m lifting beams used with four 2,500 kN (25 tonne) electric chain hoists. Due to the limited height of the room, Scholpp built a diagonal structure up to the designated display position.
The company also had to overcome the low, 3,500 kN/m2, point load capacity of the floor and ensure there was sufficient load spread under the gantry tracks. Each pair of gantry legs had to be placed on different stand levels; with the lower pair on 2 m supports.
For the rigging and dismantling only Scholpp's special crane, which it calls Octopus, was allowed to work on the upper museum levels, because of his low weight and good load distribution.
