A crane was required to lift a large beam into position on
the house. The beam is located at the apex of the ceiling in
the kitchen/dining/family room area. Chris called me in
the morning to let me know the crane would be arriving at 10AM.
I arrived about 10 minutes before that, and this is what I
saw. Obviously the crane was early. Not that I have a problem
with that.
| Beam Construction | Beam Size | Beam Destination | Beam Retainers |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
The left image shows the details of the beam's laminated construction. The notch cut into the top is to position the extension of the beam over the porch. As this is a small length by comparison with the inside length, a lesser piece of wood is fine. The two people in the next photo are the crane operator and controller. The right two photos show where the beam is to be positioned, and what will hold it in place once there.
|
|
The beam as delivered was 9 m long, 110 mm wide and 500 mm high. That's a substantial piece of wood. The required length was a little shorter, about 100 mm shorter. So, Chris measured (at least twice) then cut the end off. Cutting the beam too short would render it useless!
Elapsed time from my arrival to here was 9 minutes.
Rising higher, but holding due to wind. Chris with back to camera,
and the crane controller to the far right.
Garry now has the control rope.
|
|
Garry on the left (south) side guiding the beam to its final position, with Chris to the right (north) end.
Finally in position; Garry on left, Chris on right.
The big picture view.
The job now done, it's time for the crane to pack itself up to drive
to the next job. Step 1 is to lower the jib.
Now the stability arms are lifted, and the crane is back on its tyres.
Elapsed time from start of lift to here was 11 minutes; elapsed time from my arrival was 20 minutes. Quite a speedy operation when done by professionals.
The crane on its way out. Quite a compact, but capable unit.
| South End | North End |
|---|---|
|
|
Now that the crane was gone, I was ready to move around more freely. The beam is positioned within a few millimetres of the correct position. Amazing stuff.
The newly installed beam is clearly visible in this "most of house"
view from the driveway (to be).
|
The company name of the crane owners is
Action Recovery Services,
hence the number plate of the truck (top), and the crane itself
has a cute plate too.
Note for Americans: you spell the word as 'ass'. |
|
Building A Home
More Roof
Fully Wasted