A steel plant in Alabama contacted Barnhart about installing five overhead cranes that each weighed 1 million pounds in its new melt shop. Installing them through the roof would put the project behind schedule, so Barnhart’s engineering team proposed using a modular lift tower (MLT) as shoring to support the crane build at 100' elevation so the overhead cranes could slide in from the end of the building.
Each overhead crane had three components, which weighed approximately 350,000 pounds apiece.
The crane pieces were lifted by a CC2800 crane with a superlift buggy to the MLT platform and assembled at elevation prior to sliding into the building.
Barnhart designed and fabricated the connection between the shoring tower and the customer’s structure. Counterweight was stacked up on the tower feet to maintain stability in high wind conditions due to hurricane season on the Gulf Coast. The shoring tower had to be relocated twice to install all five cranes in three different bays.
Barnhart’s approach saved the customer on schedule because having to install through the roof would prevent other scopes from getting finished out on the new melt shop. Ultimately, Barnhart’s unique solution was the deciding factor in being awarded the job.