The contractor had been using ‘conventional’ equipment, which would hoist one panel from the floors below and then set them into place, move the equipment, then set another panel.
However, panels on the facade of the parking garage structure were larger and heavier than could be handled safely with their smaller capacity equipment and the installation area could not be reached by the existing tower crane onsite.
With the MC285 set up in one position, up to six panels could be set in sequence without a machine move.
“The MC285 greatly speeded up the installation. When the next section of panels was installed, repositioning the MC285 could be done in minutes, saving time for the contractor,” Maeda said.
Access to the top deck of the parking garage structure was easy with the MC285 travelling on rubber tracks up to the top level. At 4ft 10in high, there were no overhead height concerns when traveling in the garage.
The overall weight of the MC285 is 4,325lbs which meant that it could travel and be set up in various jobsite areas without the concerns and issues of much heavier conventional equipment.
The narrow width of 30in let the mini crane access tight areas and manoeuvre in close quarters when needed.
