There are many variables to consider when selecting a means of vertical worker transport for your construction job. The safety of your workers is paramount, and this, of course, is directly linked to strict municipal fire codes as well as ANSI and OSHA guidelines. Other considerations to take into account when selecting a lifting solution include: delivery and set-up time of the system in relation to job deadlines; the ratio of people to transport versus the large quantities of heavy material; and the space restrictions of the building and site.
For two contractors, one based in the San Francisco Bay Area and the other in the New York metropolitan area, hoist selection for some challenging projects was narrowed down to one option: the Max Climber 2000 Rack & Pinion Hoist from Beta Max., Inc. of Melbourne, FL.
A friend in tight spaces for West Bay Builders
West Bay builders of Novato, CA have a real estate development division that is engaged in a wide range of development activities throughout the Bay Area. One such development project was the construction of Symphony Towers, two towers housing high-end condominiums in downtown San Francisco. Ben Vendt-Pearce, President/Owner of West Bay Builders, described how his general contracting company found itself in a tight spot during the “dry-in” phase of this construction project, which encompassed the construction of windows, dormers, interior stairways, and the roof structure.
“The complex is comprised of two towers: the thirteen-story Van Ness Tower and the nine-story Turk Tower,” Vendt-Pearce said. “Because there is another building located directly on the front side of the site, we had to connect the two towers behind this building with a terrace. Plus, the complex isn’t designed to keep a man-lift on the exterior for the duration of the project while still achieving dry-in and maintaining permanent power. Therefore, we needed to use one of the elevator shafts located in the center of the Van Ness Tower as a hoist way. This served as the primary means of transporting personnel during this dry-in phase.”
Finding the right hoist for the job initially posed some challenges. The hoist way featured a space-deficient base pit that was only 7 feet by 7 feet, with minimal ceiling clearance. West Bay Builders needed to find a hoist powerful enough to handle constant heavy use over a span of 14 stories, but small enough to fit the space in the base pit.
“We had heard within the industry that Beta Max provided unique products for challenging projects and difficult site conditions,” Vendt-Pearce said. Not surprising, given that Beta Max has been a well-known provider of alternative methods for lifting building materials in the construction and restoration industries for over 2 years.
“As it turned out,” Vendt-Pearce continued, “after exploring a number of different options, Beta Max was the only company that could provide a product capable of meeting our needs.”
West Bay and Beta Max installed a Max Climber 2000P lifting system in the newly repurposed hoist way. The hoist, designed to ensure optimum safety, comes equipped with a range of premium control-enhancing features such as a push button pendant and an upper and lower limit switch assembly that enables easy up and down movement and instantly stops when limit switches are activated. The hoist is equipped with a downward interruption sensor that will automatically stop operation if it senses a foreign object in its path. Additionally, a ground personnel safety alert comes standard, enabling the hoist to automatically stop ten feet above the ground.
Perhaps most essential to West Bay Builders was the fact that the hoist has a space-efficient standard basket size of 81 inches by 45 inches, but is still able to handle a maximum payload of 2,000 pounds and travel with that payload up to 400 feet.
The Max Climber 2000P also meets or exceeds all ANSI and OSHA specifications. In particular, it helped West Bay to meet the specific OSHA requirement which mandates that workers and safety inspectors have access to the structure and scaffolding every 36 feet, or every three stories.
The Max Climber 2000P was installed in just three days, and was subsequently in use for two and half months. With the job complete to everyone’s satisfaction, West Bay Builders anticipates relying on the Max Climber for a number of projects in the future, including several condo high rises in San Francisco and Santa Rosa.
Filling tall orders in New York City.
Rockledge Scaffold Corp. is a provider of scaffolding and sidewalk bridges throughout the Tri-State area. To meet New York City fire codes and keep projects progressing smoothly, the company always has to install hoists on its work sites when there’s not a running elevator in place.
Company owner Jeremiah Harrington explained that “Once a building is over 70 feet and there’s no inside elevator, they have to have a hoist in place. That’s where we get a lot of use out of the Max Climber 2000P.”
Harrington said his company has purchased many Beta Max hoists, and currently has the Max Climber in use at six different projects.
“The Max Climber is a machine that can really be squeezed into places you just can’t get bigger hoists into,” Harrington said. ”At this particular time, we’re using the hoist on a number of sidewalk bridges to access sidewalk piping.”
Harrington said that the Beta Max hoist is not only a solution for tight spaces, but tight time restrictions as well.
“Beta Max is extremely good at helping us meet tight deadlines, amazingly so given that the company is located in and shipping from Florida,” Harrington commented. “With one current job, we were putting up sidewalk piping next to new building construction, and the fire department gave us three weeks to get a hoist in place. Beta Max delivered a hoist within one week, which made us very happy.”
Beta Max’s service has always been another key driver in Rockledge’s purchase decisions.
“We have open access to everyone at Beta Max.” Harrington said. “If we’re on a job site and we call them with a problem, they get back to us immediately and make sure the problem is rectified. For example, when we first started working with Beta Max, we had a question about one of the safety switches on the Max Climber. The hoist wasn’t running because a safety feature had kicked on. We called them and, within 15 minutes, we were able to determine that a cable wasn’t closed right. Problem solved.”
Rockledge is currently working with four different types of Beta Max hoists, and is in negotiation for a fifth because the company has a hoist to meet virtually every need Rockledge has.
“If you’re going to lift a lot of heavy material, such as sheet rock back and forth, then you need to step it up a bit and go for something larger like the Max Climber 6000,” Harrington said. “But if you’re lifting light materials or transferring people, the Max Climber 2000P is far and away the way to go. It’s also a lot less expensive than competitive hoists.”