Beyel dismantles at Kennedy Space Center

Florida, USA-based Beyel Brothers, the parent company of Beyel Brothers Crane and Rigging, has helped dismantle an overhead crane in the Shuttle Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), at the Kennedy Space Center.

The company had previously installed the overhead crane in the 1970s, along with helping to erect other main structures at the Kennedy Space Center.

Beyel used a 400 US ton (350 tonne) capacity Terex AC 350/6 all terrain crane. Steve Beyel, Beyel Brothers vice president, said, "We bought our first Terex crane in 1989, a 35 US ton (31.8 tonne) Terex 335 truck crane that had a 28.7 meter boom. The AC 350/6 was purchased to fit the niche between our 300 and 500 US ton (270 and 450 tonne) cranes and because it has a long, 64 metre main boom."

For the dismantling project the all terrain had 116.7 tonnes of counterweight and was configured with a 40.7 m boom. In this set up it was able to remove the overhead crane from the 160 m tall building. Other lifts included removing the girders, which weighed 26.5 US tons (24 tonnes) and 20 US tons (18.1-tonnes) each, to the floor.

Due to strict lifting safety standards required by NASA, the AC 350/6 had to stay within 75% of its load chart, a company spokesperson added.