A load shackle to complete monorail crane installation

Melbourne, Australia-based company Hoisting Equipment Specialist (Vic) Pty Ltd (HES) recently installed two monorail crane systems at an electrical substation before utilising a 3.25t capacity

Melbourne, Australia-based company Hoisting Equipment Specialist (Vic) Pty Ltd (HES) recently installed two monorail crane systems at an electrical substation before utilising a 3.25t capacity wireless load shackle from Straightpoint to complete commission and handover to the end user.

HES accepted a scope of work from Trio Construct, also based in Melbourne, to design, fabricate, install and certify two identical monorail crane systems, each with a rated capacity of 1,000kg, measuring 1,750mm in length. The pair of cranes, installation of which was completed over a two-day period, are used to lift switchboard equipment into place.

Upon installation, HES employed a Wireless Loadshackle and Handheld Plus from its own stock to record data and document it for the operation and maintenance manual that is supplied standard with every crane system.

Nathan Heatley, who managed the project for HES, said: “We utilised a proprietary surface-mounted test rail that was rigged up using synthetic slings to achieve our rated capacity for the proof load test. The load shackle provided the perfect solution to this limited headroom application.”

These purpose-built cranes are manufactured according to Australian Standard AS 2550.3 – 2005. The hoists, meanwhile, are the OzBlok brand for which HES is the principal supplier, as specified by Trio Construct. The OzBlok S Series chosen for this project offered the close-coupled chain block and geared trolley combination. The hoist and trolley systems are certified in accordance with AS 1418.2-1997.

Dean Nelson, managing director of HES, said: “By slowly bringing all relevant processes, like load testing and commissioning, in-house we are not only able to offer customers a more competitive price, but we gain greater control over the quality of service and workmanship. Combining HES and Straightpoint equipment, for example, will become more commonplace accordingly.”

Every Straightpoint Wireless Loadshackle is proof tested and equipped with a hard anodised aluminium electronics enclosure, within which is a new internal chassis, providing IP67 / NEMA6 environmental protection even with the battery cover plate missing. Boasting a range of 700m / 2,300 ft., the load shackles are supplied with an update rate of 3Hz and can be easily configured to run at what Straightpoint believes is industry-leading speeds of up to 200Hz.

Heatley concluded: “HES and Straightpoint go hand-in-hand because of the respective quality of our product ranges that are known in the industry—in Straightpoint’s case, globally. It is generally accepted that it manufactures the best load monitoring equipment, while we also operate at the top end of the marketplace. It makes sense for us to combine engineering expertise with quality of product and service. Further, customers appreciate attention to detail throughout a sales, design, installation, commissioning and after-sales process.”