News

Ask Matt ... how does the big crane work?

A 166½-foot tall crane towers over the historic Cedars on U.S. 64 at North Church Street. The crane survived Hurricane Helene and stays busy doing the heavy lifting at the Fairmont Heritage Place construction site. [MATT MATTESON/Hendersonville Lightning]

By Matt Matteson, Published: November 28, 2024

Q. Was the crane over the Cedars project damaged by Hurricane Helene?

No. The tower crane survived. Between Sept. 25 and 27 the National Weather Service, recorded sustained winds at Greenville Spartanburg Airport at 38 mph with gusts up to 56 mph. Local wind speed may have been greater but Asheville Regional Airport officials said they were unable to record wind speed during the hurricane.

   The tower crane is 166½ high and the jib — the rotating horizontal extension — runs 262½  feet from the tower, said Stan Roland, project executive with Turner Construction Co., which is building Fairmont Heritage Place: The Cedars. “The crane can pick up 6,615 pounds at the tip and 27,650 at 82 feet out,” Roland said. “In order not to tip over during operation, the tower crane packs a counterweight of 77,000 pounds.”

   The crane operator climbs some 170 steps to get to the cab. On his way up, the operator passes through an enclosed cage and inspects the tower’s electric cords, trolley, hoist, bolts and pins and performs many more safety checks. There is no pulley system or elevator to get the operator to the top. Usually it takes an operator less than 10 minutes to reach the cab.

   A lot of time goes into selecting the crane site, Roland said. Turner’s tower crane called for a poured concrete foundation into which the base section is bolted. The foundation is buried 6 feet into the ground and is augmented by 45-foot deep stabilization piers.

   “It takes 7 days and 15 trucks to haul the crane pieces to the site,” said Roland, a Georgia native who has been with Turner for almost 28 years. “It typically takes three days to erect the crane on site but it took seven days due to bad weather,” he said. To get the crane upright, a smaller 400-ton mobile crane was used.  The tower crane is owned by Baker Construction, a nationwide company that specializes in concrete construction. The operator is hired by Baker.

   So what does the tower crane do all day? It lifts. Typical tasks are lifting in place steel wall forms, decking, hauling concrete, prefabricated wall panels, roof trusses and more. This is all done from the comfort of a 7x5x6-foot air conditioned cab — absent a bathroom. I posed the obvious question to Roland. “Crane operators train their body to not need a restroom during the workday,” he said. “They use dietary control.”

   Stan Roland The crane operator works with radio on. Keeping people safe and making sure that everyone handling loads or communicating with him are doing their job correctly. “Turner has a philosophy where safety is always first, quality is second and production is third,” Roland said.

   Crane operations cease when weather conditions affect safety. If there is lightning within 10 miles, work stops. Also, the crane stops making picks if winds top 22 mph. For the safety of the crane, at the end of a shift, the operator unlocks the jib from the tower. “We call this ‘weather vane mode’ where the crane is in free spin,” said Roland. “If you watch the crane at night you might see it move.”

   The Shipman family, investors, contractors, business leaders and elected officials broke ground on Fairmont Heritage Place condos in March. The project at the corner of North Church Street and U.S. 64 is approved for 132 units on 2¼ acres. Phase 1 of the project is scheduled to be completed in November of 2025. The second phase depends on start/release dates. The tower crane will be a presence in Hendersonville for quite a while longer.

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