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All Crane assisted with a lift at Marshall University. |
April 2, 2008 • When Todd Pitsenburger, rigging superintendent of Duncan Machinery Movers, Lexington, Ky., was asked to move the 38-year-old Marshall Memorial Fountain off its base for repairs • without damaging the surrounding landscaping or interfering with students walking on the quad • he called ALL Crane & Equipment Rental Corp. of St. Albans, W.Va., for the lift.
Pitsenburger had worked successfully with All Crane on previous jobs and trusted the company to help achieve the goal of lifting a 13-foot-tall, 6,500-pound “piece of history,” safeguarding the piece of art with minimal disruption. The fountain was designed to commemorate the 75 lives lost when a plane carrying the Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, fans, and supporters crashed on Nov. 14, 1970. Pitsenburger entrusted the job to the crane experts at All Crane for their knowledge of the right equipment to plan the perfect pick.
The job on the Marshall campus in Huntington, W.Va., entailed lifting the historic sculptural fountain off its base and placing it on a temporary platform near the Memorial Student Center so repairs could be made to the base and the plumbing could be updated. To avoid damaging the fountain's surrounding landscape, a crane with a long boom and enough capacity to lift 6,500 pounds was required. A 350-ton Grove GMK 6350 was specified by the lift engineer for the job. The same crane was also called into service to replace the fountain in March.
For the lift, which took place on Jan. 24, the crane had to be situated in a parking lot behind the Memorial Student Center to avoid damaging the grass around the fountain. But a pick with a long boom can be tricky. “The crane operator did a great job,” says Pitsenburger. “His cautious movements allowed for a safe and efficient evolution.”
The crane used had a 196-foot boom, and 62-foot jib for a total boom length of 258 feet. With 220,000 pounds counterweight, the total picking radius was approximately 200 feet.
