La Grange Crane has been providing top tier service for Chicagoland General Contractors and subcontractors for over 60 years. Our long-standing relationships within in the industry give La Grange Crane a seat at the table when it comes to opportunities involving challenging and complicated crane lifts. La Grange was invited to bid and awarded the Oakbrook Commons Tower Crane Erection by James McHugh Construction based on our experience, technical knowledge, and consistent ability to deliver on-site performance that matches pre-planning documentation.

3D Lift Plan utilization in the early stages of construction cannot be overstated. For a Tower Crane Erection, crane vendors are challenged to put together a comprehensive plan based on site specifics that are not yet visible. By marrying 3D lift plan with a blueprint, La Grange Crane can give a 100% accurate description of what a job site will look like, and how team members across many trades can coordinate themselves to maintain a safe construction site. Furthermore, a comprehensive plan such as this has the ability to engage multiple team members - putting details, specifications, and logistics in front of as many eyeballs as possible, leaving little to the imagination. While price is always a component, the Oak Brook Commons Tower Crane was awarded to La Grange based on our availability to translate field experience and crane selection into a form of documentation that all parties can absorb and appreciate.

3D Lift Plan has always been an important tool in a La Grange Crane Project Manager's tool belt. However, the impact that COVID-19 has had on the construction industry over the last year has made it even more essential. In previous years, La Grange Crane was able to meet freely with on-site contacts and safety personnel to review upcoming lifts. Due to CDC guidelines, construction has been challenged to continue to move forward at the same pace - with a new obstacle of how to convey confidence and trust without meeting face-to-face.

For the Oak Brook Commons Tower Crane Erection, a series of 3D Lift Plans was shared with over a dozen members of James McHugh Construction and General Contractor W.E. O'Neil team over a series of video calls with screensharing capabilities. The luxury to produce a scaled depiction of the crane lift through multiple stages allowed a process and plan to materialize in the face of remote challenges.

Furthermore, Tower Crane erection is not an everyday occurrence. When a tower is erected it is most often on a bare site without the obstructions that the tower itself will put in place. The erection plan overlaid on a site plan gives full visibility on the impact of positioning that will be of most value when the tower crane is to be dismantled. Not to mention that Tower Crane components are much larger and heavier than they appear when they are freely rotating at 250' above grade. In reality, a 550 Ton Crane with Luffing jib extension is required to reach incredible heights with critical capacity.

Tower Crane Erection is, in a sense, a construction site groundbreaking ceremony for all subcontractors. The Tower Crane is what will enable all trades to safely do their jobs in accordance with a site schedule. A flawless lift plan of a Tower Crane Erection sets a site standard to all parties involved that this site is safe, and safety documentation is a not an option - but a requirement.

La Grange Crane looks forward to the dismantlement of the Oak Brook Commons Tower Crane later this year. Like the erection, it will be ceremoniously celebrated as a bookend to a project that takes crane safety seriously.

3D Lift Plan Images

Jobsite Photos