In the University District of Seattle, WA, a new high-rise building was under construction. While an on-site tower crane had performed most of the project’s heavy lifting, equipment delays led to the crane being moved to another site. Knowing a 9,200-pound HVAC unit would later be delivered for placement on the 245-high roof, the project GC needed a new heavy lift solution. 

Having relied successfully on Omega Morgan’s Seattle crane services team for prior jobs, tapping Team Green for this project was an easy call. Once under contract, our crews quickly got to work determining the best course of action.

STRATEGIC HEAVY LIFT PLANNING

Planning began months before the lift date as our crews mapped out the positioning of our crane along narrow city streets and coordinated with necessary parties for permits, scheduling, and traffic control. We began by applying for permits from the Seattle Department of Transportation, as these can take months to come in.

As the team strategized over several site visits, it became clear that the crane could only be placed in the northwest corner of the building while still being able to clear it for roof placement. However, the HVAC unit had to be placed in the southeast corner, 80 feet from the building’s edge.

Due to tree coverage, the crew planned to assemble our Grove 7550 550-ton mobile crane in the opposite direction of the building. This positioning pointed the luffing jib towards a neighboring project, which had a tower crane. We coordinated with the contractor of that project to ensure that there would be an operator in the tower crane to prevent it from weathervaning into our boom. Our strategic plan also included a Megawing lift, which made the crane’s placement even more critical as we needed 180 degrees of clearance.

After months of preparation and with our plans and permits in place, the component arrived at the construction site, and the scheduled heavy lift day arrived.

HEAVY EQUIPMENT LIFT & PLACEMENT

Over the course of six hours, Omega Morgan’s crew arrived on site and built the mobile crane with support from ten OM trucks, which delivered the crane components, including counterweight, luffing jib, and Megawing. 

There were two smaller apartment buildings that the team had to swing the counterweight next to, and after assembly, the Megawing had to be able to swing 180 degrees to where the lift would take place, so precision and care were paramount. 

After rigging the 9,200-pound HVAC unit, which measured 185 feet in radius, our two-man crew operating the crane lifted the component 245 feet to the roof and placed it in its designated space. Then, the crew disassembled the crane over six hours as trucks removed the equipment from the site. 

The contractor and construction parties were all very satisfied with the work and glad to have this part of the project completed. Team Green is always happy to be of service to our customers and be able to provide essential services that keep their projects moving forward.