Masonry Magazine August 1986 Page. 32
STERLING
The "TOUGH GUY"
BRICK
BARROWS
BALANCE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
STERLING
HANDLING EQUIPMENT INC.
2300 W. FLORIST AVE.
MILWAUKEE, WI 53209
414-228-7728
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32 MASONRY-JULY/AUGUST, 1986
NEW ELEVATING PLATFORM
USED ON CHARLESTON
MASONRY PROJECT
System pioneered in England shows its capabilities
When Hughes Masonry Company. Inc. of Louisville, Ky., came to the end of its masonry challenge at the new eight-story, 230-foot-high Hilton Omni Hotel & Convention Center in the heart of Charleston, S.C.'s historic district, project manager Victor S. Beeler was smiling.
His masonry crew had completed laying more than 650,000 brick on over 100,000 sq. ft. of exterior walls on the eight-story structure, and they had come in on time and on bid.
It had been an unusual job with many unknown factors, but Hughes Masonry handled them successfully with the aid of a couple of "new wave" technologies. One was the computer. Thanks to this modern whiz, project manager Beeler was able to figure in a tremendous number of variables in estimating a complex job which required his tradesmen to tackle a new building that had to be as ornate as the ones constructed in this old city in the 18th century.
The second factor was the one the computer handled as a variable-the Access Satellite Elevating Work Platform. The device is a relatively new but proven system invented in 1981 and pioneered in England. Utilizing twin electric motors, it differs from conventional scaffolding in that it lifts a 20- to 50-foot-wide work platform carrying men and materials up a single mast to the desired working height. Twin 4-horsepower electric motors automatically raise or lower the platform at the rate of 24 feet per minute. Men and materials weighing up to 8,360 pounds can be accommodated by the device.
In early 1985, Hughes Masonry had the opportunity to bid on the massive Charleston Place project. In a highly competitive situation, the firm, using computer analysis, calculated the efficiencies it would gain using the new elevating platform concept. The numbers worked and the job was won.
For this job, Hughes Masonry used four 50-foot-wide Access Satellites. The system is mounted on a mobile chassis, permitting it to be towed to the work site and rolled into place. Once the chassis is secure, the system is erected to its free-standing height of 32 feet. With regular attachments each 26 feet, mast sections can be added, giving the platform a potential height of 350 feet or more.
After the platform is set, it can lift up to 8,360 pounds of men and materials into place. Workers can raise or lower the platform at the rate of 24 feet per minute using the two