Terex all terrains at Niagara Falls

Crane rental contractor Clark Rigging and Rental Corp, based in New York, USA, has used a Terex AC 350/6 and a Terex AC 500-2 all terrain crane to help build a dry dock facility for the Maid of the Mist Corporation.

The Maid of the Mist Corporation operates ferries on the Niagara River Gorge that take visitors on tours of Niagara Falls.

The company had a lease in both the United States and Canada, including dry docks. Following the loss of the lease to operate and dock the ferries during winter in Canada, the Maid of the Mist Corporation was required to build a new dry dock facility in the United States.

For the new docks, the site of Schoellkopf Power Station, which collapsed into the Niagara River Gorge in the 1950s, was chosen. Due to the position and lack of access to the site, equipment for the construction of the docks had to be lowered by crane from a cliff overlooking the gorge 45.7 m above the river.

To carry out the task, Clark Rigging used a 350 tonne capacity class Terex AC 350/6 all terrain crane. For the job it was configured with full counterweight and 64 m main boom. Work for the all terrain included lowering supplies into the gauge, including skid steer loaders, dozers, all terrain trucks and an 11.3 tonne excavator. The equipment was used to clear the gorge and prepare the riverside for a new dry dock and observation area. The two new platforms, positioned at the top of the gorge and alongside the Niagara River, were to be connected by an elevator.

The first stage of the project lasted for six weeks. Steve Clark, Clark Rigging and Rental Corp vice president, said, “We averaged 75 picks a day with the crane, lowering equipment down into the gorge. We were working at about a 33.5 m radius to lower material 45.7 m into the gorge. It’s a challenge working from that height in off-road conditions, where the terrain is not level.”

For the second phase of the project, the construction of a 181 tonne harbour crane, Clark Rigging used a Terex AC 500-2 all terrain crane. For the task, the eight-axle, 500 tonne capacity AC 500-2 all terrain crane was configured with 56 m main boom and full counterweight.

No access roads led to the dock area so the AC 500-2 was placed into the gorge from the top of the cliff by a ringer crane. “It was lowered in two pieces, the main crane and the boom and the counterweight was lowered two at a time,” Clark said.

A Terex RT 655 rough terrain crane was also lifted down into the gorge to assist with the boom installation on the AC 500-2.

For the installation of the harbour crane, a trailer was positioned in the gorge to transport the harbour crane components to the edge of the water. In total, eight components of the crane, each with an average weight of 63.5 tonnes, were hoisted and positioned by the AC 500-2. Additional components positioned by the all terrain crane included a 54.4 tonne crane base, 63.5 tonnes of slewing gear and two 63.5 tonne floating docks.

During the project, an 81.6 tonne capacity, 17.7 m spreader beam was placed in a tandem lift using the AC 500-2 and a crawler crane. Clark said, “We worked at a short 9.1 m radius with the AC 500-2. There were no major challenges with the lifts, and we were finished with the harbour crane within two weeks.”

The two Maid of the Mist vessels were lifted from the Niagara River by the 181.4 tonne harbour crane and placed on the newly built dry dock.

Andrew Cuomo, New York governor, said, “We value the Maid of the Mist; we wanted to keep the Maid of the Mist here; we had a parcel we believed we could be better utilising for the State and for tourism; and we put the two together.”

The project cost US$ 32 million.