46
SITE REPORT
LIFTING
ACT
SEPTEMBER 2013
Citadel Contractors’ LR 1300 lifted and installed the world’s widest Tilt-Up wall panel.
I
t’s not every day that a crane makes a
world record-setting lift, but that is just
what happened in Rock Hill, SC. The
crane involved was a Liebherr LR 1300
owned by Citadel Contractors, Inc., and
the project was the construction of York
Preparatory Academy High School.
Citadel’s LR 1300 lifted and installed the
largest Tilt-Up panel on record, according
to Citadel Vice President Jason Swagert.
“This particular wall section was
designed with several openings, making
it hard to find a place to add a joint,” he
explains. “Our idea was to pour an 89-foot
wide panel with multiple openings.
We created a model; we made up little
Critical rigging gear
This particular Tilt-Up panel was designed
with nine vertical openings. Using a
38-foot spreader bar, the wall was lifted up
from 16 pick points designed into the face
of the wall system. Four crewmen on the
ground held onto ropes at each pick point,
slowly guiding the panel and keeping it
level as the crane operator slowly lifted
it into position. The lift required expert
riggers and signal persons as well as an
experienced Tilt-Up crane operator,
according to Swagert.
“Fortunately, we had all of the necessary
rigging and lifting gear,” says Swagert. “If
we did not already have it, it could have
made this lift cost prohibitive. This was
the fourth building on the campus
of YPA. The other three buildings
were built last year and school was
in session so the buildings were
occupied. Certain parts of the site
were flagged off to keep students
(and parents) at a safe viewing
distance.”
Wolfgang Herzog, vice president
sales, Southeast and Caribbean
Liebherr Nenzing Crane Co., was
on the Citadel jobsite the day of
the lift.
“Being there and witnessing the
excitement and joy of everyone
involved about this perfectly
executed lift was a very unique
experience,” he says. “We at
Liebherr are proud that the LR
1300 gave Citadel the possibility to
archive this world record lift.”
Quick construction
Among the main advantages of
Tilt-Up construction is the ability to frame
a building quickly. Tilt-Up construction
is also very cost effective, Swagert says.
Additional advantages are durability,
thermal economy and design versatility as
evidenced by this uninterrupted 89-foot
wide Tilt-Up panel.
Swagert says the 330-ton capacity
Liebherr LR 1300 was the perfect crane
for this project. The crane offered the
productivity required and also offers quick
and easy transport and assembly, he adds.
Tilt-Up record
Using a 38-foot spreader bar,
the wall was lifted up from 16
pick points designed into the
face of the wall system.
INSET: Tilt-Up work requires
careful planning and a high-
performance crane, such as
the Liebherr LR 1300.
miniature panels and positioned the
panels on the slab the way they should be
poured.”
While the lift did not test the capacity
of the LR 1300, the rigging plan required
careful execution. The huge Tilt-Up panel
measured approximately 89-feet wide by
30-feet tall and weighed about 130,000
pounds. Typical panels on the project
measured 25-feet wide and 30-feet tall.
Citadel, which has been performing
Tilt-Up work for more than 15 years,
specializes in this type of construction.
The company has lifted and set into place
larger than normal Tilt-Up panels, but the
one in Rock Hill, SC was the widest.
