A UNIC mini spider crane hired from GGR Group came to the rescue of United Utilities at Eccles Wastewater Treatment Works in Manchester by providing some close-range lifting power on an out of action sewage filtration bed.

A beam which runs across one of the filter beds and carries the rotary distributor arm to evenly spray the surface with wastewater had become dislodged off its tracks. Two United Utilities Field Service Engineers were trained to operate a 2.9 tonne capacity UNIC URW-295 mini crane which was hired from GGR Group to work on top of the filter bed to lift the beam back into position onto its rails.

As the beam was stuck halfway along the length of the filter bed, it would have been extremely difficult to reach, even for a large city crane with a generous working radius due to the extremely limited access on site.  A quick result was required so normal operations could be resumed at the plant.

The compact UNIC mini crane provided an efficient solution to this problem as it could work on top of the bed itself in close proximity to the load. GGR’s mini spider crane was lifted up onto the filter bed by another UNIC crane before being tracked across the uneven surface to reach the first end of the fallen beam. Once one end had been lifted back into its correct position the mini crane travelled across the bed to do the same at the other end.

Weighing just 1850kg, the UNIC URW-295 model was lightweight enough to be used on top of the mesh cover and rocks which make up the filter bed, where bacteria and biomass grows to biodegrade the wastewater as it trickles down.