Quick Shot

A large-scale crane was recently employed at LLE to move materials required for the second line-of-sight neutron shield and to aid with a cooling tower repair. The crane mast was 199 feet long and needed to span 176 feet to the drop point on the roof. It used over 40,000 lbs of ballast weight to counter the weight of the long mast, and it had a maximum lifting capacity of 100 tons. The size of the crane and its proximity to the airport required a Federal Air Administration permit and special clearance had to be approved with the airport control tower just prior to the lift.