Mini Cranes from Preston

Preston Mini Cranes have Soul

Preston Group was recently commissioned by G James Glass & Aluminium as sub-contractor for Grocon to install the external glazing facade to the upper podium level of Soul on the Gold Coast.

The architecturally groundbreaking development worth $850 million is rumoured to be the largest private construction deal ever awarded in Australia for a single-tower development.

With the development nearing completion, Preston was charged with overcoming problems in installing the facade caused by the recovery crane's limited reach. Putting their heads together, G James Glass & Aluminium and Preston determined that the only way to safely install the facade was through a mini crane on the upper podium level, ensuring that the capacity of the podium was not exceeded in doing so. With an impressive 250kg lifting capacity at 12m, Preston recommended the Maeda MC-305 mini crane as perfect for the job.

Preston was then faced with the problem of how to get the mini crane onto the podium. Because the weight of the MC-305 exceeded the lifting capacity of the recovery crane, simply lifting it to the podium was not an option. Thinking outside the box, Preston mechanics disassembled the mini crane on the ground to reduce its weight so that it could be lifted in smaller pieces. Once all pieces were safely on the podium, Preston mechanics re-assembled the mini crane and installed the external glazing facade with ease and efficiency. The mini crane was then disassembled, sent back onto the ground in pieces and reassembled for its next job.