ALL Erection and Crane Rental Corp

News

ALL Media Coverage

Overview

History

Gallery

Resources

News

Employment

	Expert Support
	Safety Specialists
	Newsletter Signup
	Our Shops
	Currency Converter
	Satisfaction Survey

ALL Crane & Equipment Rental Corp. Chosen to Lift
Historic Marshall University Memorial Fountain for Repairs

March 11, 2008—How do you carefully lift a 13-foot-tall, 6,500-lb. piece of history, safeguard an irreplaceable work of art, and still “Keep off the grass”? When Todd Pitsenburger, rigging superintendent of Duncan Machinery Movers, was asked to move the 38-year-old Marshall Memorial Fountain off its base for repairs—and without damaging the surrounding landscaping or interfering with students walking on the quad—he trusted ALL Crane & Equipment Rental Corp. of St. Albans, West Virginia, for the lift.

Pitsenburger called ALL because he had worked successfully with ALL Crane on previous jobs. He entrusted the job to ALL’s seasoned crane experts and their knowledge of the right equipment to plan the perfect pick.

The job on the Marshall University campus in Huntington, West Virginia, entailed lifting the historic sculptural fountain off its base and placing it on a temporary platform near the Memorial Student Center so repairs could be made to the base and the plumbing could be updated. To avoid damaging the fountain’s surrounding landscape, a crane with a long boom and enough capacity to lift 6,500 lbs. was required. A 350-ton GMK 6350 was specified by the lift engineer at ALL. The same crane will be called into service again to replace the fountain in March of this year.

For the lift, which took place on January 24, 2008, the crane had to be situated in a parking lot behind the Memorial Student Center to avoid damaging the grass around the fountain. But a pick with a long boom can be tricky. Says Pitsenberger, “The crane operator did a great job. His cautious movements allowed for a safe and efficient evolution.”

Crane Specifics
•   GMK model 6350, 350 ton
•   196-ft. boom, 62-ft. jib (258-ft. total boom length), and 220,000 lbs. counterweight
•   Total picking radius approximately 200 ft.

About the Fountain
The memorial fountain was designed by sculptor Harry Bertoia to commemorate the 75 lives lost when a plane carrying the Marshall football team, coaches, flight crew, fans, and supporters “fell out of the sky” on November 14, 1970. The uplifting sculpture represents, in Bertoia’s own words, “ a rising, renewing … upward growth, immortality, eternality” and features 75 points, one for each life lost. The tragedy became a measure of time “before and after” for the university and was the subject of a 2006 Warner Brothers film, “We Are Marshall.” Every November 14, the anniversary of the crash, a memorial service is held. After a wreath is laid at the fountain, the water is symbolically turned off until the following spring.

ALL Crane & Equipment Rental of West Virginia is a member of the ALL Family of Companies. As North America’s crane rental and lift engineering leaders, ALL offers unmatched experience in lift planning and jobsite analysis. Also unmatched is ALL’s continual investment in their company: to offer the largest, most technologically advanced fleet and the most experienced crane experts. This “powerhouse” combination provides cost savings, increased productivity, and improved safety to their clients. With yards throughout North America, ALL can get customers the right crane for the job immediately.

Since 1964, the ALL family of companies has grown to become one of the largest crane and equipment rental companies in North America. The company offers its fleet of cranes, aerial work platforms, boom trucks, material handlers, and other lift equipment from strategic locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, providing rental, sales, service, and jobsite analysis to help customers get the right equipment for the job. An important measure of their commitment is meeting or exceeding all pertinent regulatory and safety standards.

For more information, contact Chad Shamblin, General Manager of ALL Crane & Equipment Rental, 6540 MacCorkle Ave. SW, St. Albans, WV 25177. ?Call toll free: 800-477-2552 or phone: 304-766-0300. Or contact the ALL Erection & Crane Rental Corp., 7809 Old Rockside Rd., Cleveland, OH 44134. Phone: 216-524-6550; fax: 216-642-7611; or visit ALL on the Web: www.allcrane.com.