Versatility and Portability of the Modular Lift Tower, Part II

The brilliant engineers at Barnhart Crane & Rigging Co., headed by Chief Engineer Eric Barnhart, came up with the design for the Modular Lift Tower in the mid 1990’s. They simply sought a low-cost, safe, and highly versatile alternative to heavy lift cranes. They undoubtedly exceeded their goal with the debut of the Modular Lift Tower (MLT) in 1996.

The beauty of Barnhart’s MLT lies in its almost unlimited heavy lifting capacity, its seemingly boundless versatility, and its highly efficient portability. This easily solved the four typical problems found in heavy lift projects: congested space, limited site access, unsatisfactory ground conditions, and remote job locations.

Often work at industrial sites occurs in congested environments. Large equipment, particularly heavy lift cranes, often find it hard to maneuver within the site’s infrastructure, machinery, materials, and other equipment. The MLT’s portability partly solves this problem because crews can import the MLT in smaller pieces and then construct the tower in place. The versatility of the MLT also allows for a seemingly infinite number of configurations that can fit almost any space!

Limited site access always poses a challenge. Many times a larger structure houses the component needed to be lifted. In such cases, Barnhart teams can assemble the MLT over a structure to remove the piece vertically.

Ground conditions often restrict some equipment from being used as well. Heavy lift cranes demand certain ground pressure to handle its weight, heavy counterweights, and guying lines to secure it. Because of its lightweight and vertical lifting design, the MLT, however, requires lower ground stability, eliminates the use of counterweights, and requires no guying.

The lightweight design of the tower and the absence of counterweights also dramatically lower mobilization costs, allowing Barnhart to easily transport equipment to remote project sites. Counterweights often skyrocket a projects costs because hauling them from a Barnhart branch to the project site increases transportation expenses. Since all modules fit nicely into standard national and international freight units, remote locations hardly hinder a project’s speedy and inexpensive completion.

In short, the versatility and portability of the MLT drastically rewards any customer for its simple solutions to common heavy lift challenges. But that’s not all the MLT can do; stay tuned for the last installment of this three-part series when we’ll explain the MLT’s phenomenal safety margin and cost-effectiveness.

For more on the Modular Lift Tower, watch this informative video. Or see Part I of this series on the Modular Lift Tower.