MCS was contracted to lift a sand filter component at a pharmaceutical company in Pennsylvania. This lift was particularly challenging because the filter was 2 feet longer than the opening in the rooftop. The box shaped filter was 20’ long x 8’ wide x 8’ high and it needed to be placed horizontally through an opening measuring 18’ x 8’.

After some thought we found that just offsetting it a bit would not work since the overall profile would increase in length until the lower corner was above the upper, opposite corner. We decided to turn the load completely vertical, then lift the filter through the opening and reorient once inside. The next challenge was turning the load in a controlled manner to orient it correctly. We accomplished this by using both hoists simultaneously. We also used every lift point--six on top and 4 on the end--to reorient from a horizontal to a vertical position. We used rolling blocks that allowed multiple points to be used and equalization during rotation. We calculated the vector component forces on each pad eye that needed to be done and for different orientations.

Using a 3D lift plan allowed us to quickly draw different lifting ideas until we decided on a final plan. We needed to show three different entities—the manufacturer, the contractor, and, most importantly, the owner—the lift conceptualization. We used the 3D lift plan model to illustrate how the project would be done. This approach allowed us to explain how we were going to do the job which left few questions from the customer because we didn’t have to convince the customer that our plan would work.

The day of the lift the operator and riggers understood the plan and accomplished the job with an extremely satisfied customer.