As part of a high-rise renovation project, the owner needed a 23,333-pound swimming pool lifted onto the roof of a multi-use office and residential building in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The building height is 273.2’ with an upper deck that sits 277.4' above the ground that surrounds the pool.

The pool—which measures 33’ long, 13’ wide, and 4’ deep—had a combined weight of about 28,000 pounds, including rigging, load block, and auxiliary pool equipment.

Crane Construct

Beyond the lift of the large pool system, crews on the ground needed to work with limited space due to the downtown location. With narrow streets and many surrounding structures, there was very little room to assemble and then maneuver heavy equipment.

The team opted to use a 600-ton Tadano Demag AC-500-2 all-terrain crane for the primary lift. The crane was assembled within the confines of a city block in preparation for the lift.

A Sideways Super Lift

The Tadano Demag AC-500-2 all-terrain crane was in a sideways super-lift luffing fly-jib configuration (inclined by 60 degrees) with a main boom length of 169.9’ at an 83-degree angle. The luffing jib length was 255.9’. Further, the setup had a maximum counterweight (396,800 pounds) with a maximum outrigger configuration of 31.6’ x 31.6’.

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About Deep South: Deep South Crane & Rigging is a leading provider of heavy lift and transport solutions in the refining, chemical, and energy sectors and strives to provide its customers the best tools to complete the task at hand and is home of the VersaCrane fleet. The firm offers a complete range of services, from bare crane rental to turn-key heavy lift and transport solutions to clients in North and South America. It operates out of 7 locations including Baton Rouge, LA; Sulphur, LA; New Orleans, LA; Dequincy, LA; Beaumont, TX; Houston, TX; and Catlettsburg, KY. Sister company DS Americas operates out of Bogota, Colombia. Recent recognition includes 2020 Houston Business Roundtable (HBR) Best in Class Safety Excellence Award Finalist, 2022 Best in Class Safety Excellence Award in Crane and Rigging, and 2023 Mentor Award; 2020- 2023 Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance (GBRIA) Safety Excellence Award; 2018-2023 Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SCRA) Safety Award; 2018-2023 Louisiana Worker's Compensation Corporation (LWCC) Safest 70); 2021 Texas Mutual Platinum Safety Partner Award; and 2021 and 2023 Safety Council of Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) Silver Level Contractor Safety Performance Award.