WA Universal Rigging and Cranes recently deployed its Grove GMK6400 to assist in the construction of the new helipad at Royal Perth Hospital.
The lift involved the installation of a structural steel bridge required for the helipad. According to Aaron Holding, General Manager of WA Universal the lift wasn’t without its complications.
“The Grove GMK6400 set up included 135t of counterweight, 60m of main boom with MEGAWING and a jib extension of 18m with 3° offset. The total weight of the lift including steel bridge, hook and rigging was 11.85t. This meant the safe working load at 44m was 14.9t which meant the crane was operating at 80% of chart utilisation.
“Road access to the lift wasn’t too bad, but it was complicated by the location of various services under the road. A degree of consultation was required with the utilities providers during the lift planning process.
“To ensure we managed the ground pressure issues, we utilised 4m by 2.4m steel outrigger pads. The crane was set up within 3 hours, the lift took 2.5 hours and it took the same time to pack up. We were all done in a day,” said Holding.
WA Universal is a 3rd generation family business having started in 1985. In the early days it focused on rigging and then over the years it evolved into cranes and transport.
“Originally, we bought cranes to service our construction work and then in 2012 a large taxi hire crane business ceased trading. We saw the opportunity to fill the void and the crane hire side of the business has been growing ever since,” said Holding.