Winona, Minnesota-based OZ Lifting Products LLC has launched a wheelbase that can be used with its full range of davit cranes up to 1,200 lbs. capacity. The USA-made wheelbase is adjustable and has four different length positions: it measures from 56.57” to 77.57” long; 32.44” wide; and 36.87” high. It weighs 140 lbs. when fully assembled, without a crane’s pedestal base, so total weight will depend on the davit being used. Wheelbases will be shipped on a pallet and require assembly at the point of use.
Offering durable steel construction with powder-coat finish, oversized casters make rolling the base and moving the crane easy. The wheel base features a patented floor anchoring system, which allows the davit to rotate 360 degrees, even when under load. The manufacturer will part-number and sell the wheelbases with the pedestal base to match the davit crane the user wants. This will make the process straightforward for the customer.
Mobile crane
Richard Miller, sales manager at OZ Lifting, said: “Demand for such a solution has steadily increased over the last few years. Our customers try to leverage the benefits of our lightweight davit cranes with the ability to use them in different ways and locations. The [wheel] base allows them to move the crane to various points within a facility; the applications are limitless. The main benefit is that users do not have to permanently mount a base at the pick location.”
The base will be compatible with the majority of the company’s cranes, including the 500 lbs. and 1,200 lbs. capacity versions of the Tele-Pro, which allows users to leverage the benefits of other lifting technologies in its range while telescoping the boom in and out under load. (This line also features a 2,500 lbs. model, not suitable for use with the wheelbase.)
It will also be widely utilized with the Alumi-Lite series of ultra-portable davit cranes, an aluminum series targeted specifically at applications where portability is beneficial; the XR Series; and the steel davit crane. In each of these cases, 500 lbs. and 1,000 lbs. models are available. The CompOZite and CompOZite Elite carbon fiber models, meanwhile, are both offered in 1,200 lbs. capacities.
Safe use
OZ Lifting will ship the wheelbase with a detailed operator’s manual, which highlights the dos and don’ts when using it. For example, the user must have the legs adjusted to the appropriate length, depending on the crane, so that the end of the boom is in line with the front wheels. The davit crane must also be locked in place using a special locking collar, so the boom doesn’t go outside the width of the legs, causing it to tip over.
Miller said: “Only when the wheelbase is anchored using our patented system, can they rotate the davit crane when under load.”
New wheels
Having previewed the wheelbase at the recent Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition & Conference (WEFTEC) in Chicago, OZ Lifting will show it at the AHR Expo (Booth S10534), which takes place January 22-24, 2024, also at McCormick Place. The wheelbase will be showcased alongside the full range of davits at an expo that attracts a delegation of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) professionals.
