Counter-Balance Beam Informationadmin
Counter-Balance Beam Information
Designed and proven by Maxim Crane Works, L.P., the Beam can make short work of what would otherwise be a highly labor intensive and costly procedure. Throughout all sectors of Industry, from Petrochemical, to Power, to Commercial and beyond, Maxim Crane’s clients have found that the Counter-Balance Beam is a welcomed alternative.
The basic concept of the Counter-Balance Beam is to use variable amounts of counterweight to offset the weight of the targeted lift. By traversing the counterweight along the length of the beam, the target item is smoothly lifted from its location.
Maxim Crane’s answer offers their Clients tangible savings from an array of advantages:
Compared to optional methods that can include Structural and Civil Engineering, structure modifications, material cost and untold man-hours, as well as require the enlistment of a professional rigging contractor, Maxim Crane’s solution allows the item to be maneuvered as if there were no overhead obstructions and is the key to cost reduction.
Client Outage / Down Time
Conventional methods such as Bull Rigging or Jacking & Sliding plus the prep & clean-up work can cost the client valuable production time. A lift made with the Counter-Balance Beam takes relatively no longer than it would have had direct crane access been available. When “Time is Money” the Beam is the answer.
“Potential Risk Exposure”, a term known all too well to Owners, Managers and Safety Professionals, is drastically reduced when the Beam is the answer. The beam requires significantly fewer man-hours and can help personnel work in awkward positions or in locations where there is a higher risk of an incident.
Maxim Crane’s belief of “Whatever It Takes” drives at the core of its Counter-Balance Beam. Rigging ports can be fitted with trunions or structural beams and lift bails to accommodate rigging to most any size or shape of lift. Swivel links can be used should the lift require rotation. By the nature of its design, project specific modifications are virtually limitless. Future plans call for fitting the Beam with the ability to reach its goal from elevations above the target’s location.
Project logistics such as reach, weight and obstructions determine which of many available configurations are most suitable to the task. The basic single Main Beam is 48 ft in length with a usable reach length of 30 ft. A 20 ft Extension Beam gives the ability to reach an item 50 ft from a crane’s lift point. Current lift capacities for the single Main Beam and Extension range from over 200,000 pounds at an 8 ft reach to 30,000 pounds at a 50 ft reach. The Double Beam configuration uses a twin set of Main and Extension Beams and effectively doubles the assembly’s lift capacity. The chain driven counter weights are powered by a 110 V electric motor and a hydraulic pump & gearbox. The counter weights can be positioned along the sides of the Beam and or suspended from beneath.