Bigge's Recent Tower Crane Projects

UCLA Retirement Center

Los Angeles, CA. Bigge has just assembled one of its Comedil CTL 630 luffing tower cranes which is scheduled to be onsite for the next 12 months at Belmont Village in West Los Angeles. This luffing tower crane is specifically suited for congested construction sites and the jib can be luffed to an almost vertical position, attaining excellent hook heights while avoiding adjacent buildings and preserving neighborhood air rights.

After four years of planning, construction began a few months ago on the unique $70 million Belmont Village Westwood project on Wilshire Boulevard, near the UCLA campus. The independent and assisted living housing development will cater to UCLA alumni and faculty.

Cranes are First to Hit the Mountain

Park City, UT. November was a busy month for the Bigge tower crane team as they assembled two Peiner SK 575 tower cranes and are scheduled to add a third crane in April. The three cranes will work in tandem for the next 30 months to build a new Deer Valley Ski Resort.

The Peiner SK 575 tower cranes have a 35 ton lifting capacity. The first crane is configured to 252 feet height under hook with 213 feet of jib and the second crane is configured to 226 feet height under hook and 213 feet jib length. Both cranes were completed and certified safely and ahead of schedule.

Bigge Assembles Towers for New Bridge

Sacramento Valley, California - Construction began on the new $105 million bridge at Folsom Lake Dam. The long overdue project will expand over the American River and will ease traffic for 15,000 daily commuters.

Kiewit Construction hired Bigge Tower Crane Service to transport, assemble and climb two Potain 560 tower cranes that will remain at the jobsite for the duration of the development. The two towers were hauled from Vallejo to Sacramento by a fleet of Bigge flat bed and step deck trailers.

A 265 ton all terrain crane configured with 360,000 lbs. of counterweight and a 40’ jib is also onsite to assemble the tower cranes. Bigge’s tower crane service offers nationwide crane rental with assemble and dismantle services on the West Coast.

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Tower Crane Project

In February, Bigge dismantled the third of the sixteen tower cranes it erected on the Skyway portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. We used our Liebherr LTM 1220 with 119,000 lbs. of counterweight and 197' of boom. The heaviest lift of 22,500 lbs. was hoisted at a 70' radius. Our crews completed the dismantle of the crane in two days. This was just one of nine tower cranes that Bigge either erected or dismantled in February 2006.

California Refinery Tower Crane Project

Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. provided a turnkey solution at this Northern California refinery. Bigge’s recent expansion of its tower crane rental operation provides customers with all of their tower crane needs under one roof. Customers on the West Coast can expect complete erection and dismantling service, professional engineered support, certified tower crane maintenance, and qualified operators to handle any hoisting needs.

The Peiner SK 415 tower crane pictured was part of a general maintenance project at a Bay Area refinery. The SK 415 was assembled before the refinery shutdown began in preparation for the two month long maintenance project. Bigge used a Link-Belt HC 268 to erect the tower crane, setting it to a height under hook at 250’ with 229’ jib reach, allowing the crane to cover the large working radius that the project required. Once the maintenance project is complete, the tower crane will be disassembled and relocated to another maintenance project site within the same refinery.

Brannan Square Tower Crane - San Francisco, CA

The attached photograph shows Bigge's 300 ton Manitowoc M250 crawler crane with 160' main boom and 160' luffing jib dismantling Bigge's Peiner SK 315 tower crane. The slewing ring, a 27,000 lb. piece, was hoisted at a 150' radius. Bigge provided the tower crane to Bovis Lend Lease on an operated and maintained basis. The job is the 200 Brannan Square Project in San Francisco, a residential condominium building.

One Tall Free-Standing Tower Crane

Bigge crews assembled this Liebherr 316 Tower Crane at 2100 Franklin Street in Oakland, California for Pankow Builders. Bigge used its 600 ton capacity, Demag AC 500 with a luffing jib attachment, to put the tower up over a two day period. With a height of 366' above grade, this is one of the tallest free-standing tower cranes currently erected in the United States. Bigge has installed and dismantled over 45 cranes in the past two years and has become the premier provider for tower crane installation on the West Coast.

California Refinery Tower Crane Erection

At a Northern California refinery, Bigge crews assembled a brand new Liebherr 550 tower crane to a free-standing, height under hook of 234’. To erect the tower crane, Bigge used a Demag AC 500 all terrain crane with 300,000 lbs. of counterweight, 171' main boom and a 137' luffing jib. The tower crane will be used for hoisting rebar and formwork on this new processing plant. Bigge has mobilized a multitude of other cranes for the project, including an American HC 275 crawler crane, a Manitowoc 888 crawler crane, with a second one on the way, and a number of rough terrain cranes varying in capacities from 30 to 80 tons. Bigge specializes in providing equipment and crews specifically designed and trained for industrial and refinery applications. When you need high quality machinery and well trained professional craftspeople to operate the equipment, remember that Bigge is always here to fit the bill.