UK lifting solutions provider Select Plant Hire (Select) has developed a bespoke lifting frame that allows an entire tower crane to be lifted as a single unit, eliminating the need for traditional welded lifting arrangements.
Developed by Select’s engineering team in collaboration with Terex Tower Cranes, part of Raimondi, and Europa Engineering, the frame was recently used to relocate a 140-tonne Select tower crane approximately 165m across the Hinkley Point C construction site.
The crane, a Terex CTL430-24, was lifted by Big Carl, the 2,750-tonne Sarens SGC-250 lattice boom crawler crane, described as Europe’s largest land crane.
The lifting frame attaches directly to the underside of the crane’s slew ring and is secured using accessible bolted connections. This removes the requirement for site welding and allows installation to be completed in less than two hours.
The frame can also be fitted using the crane being lifted, removing the need for additional lifting equipment during installation.
Designed as a reusable solution, the frame incorporates interchangeable adapter plates that allow it to be used with five different tower crane models in Select’s fleet. The system can handle cranes weighing up to 140 tonnes as a single unit.
Select said the frame has already been used for multiple full crane lifts, with further operations planned.
The company said the system provides a standardised and repeatable approach to full tower crane lifting operations, while reducing installation time and removing the need for welding on site.
The development was carried out with Terex Tower Cranes, Europa Engineering and the wider Hinkley Point C project team.
A video of Saren’s Big Carl utilising the lifting frame to lift the Terex CTL430-24 can be seen here.
