A proven performer on canal and waterways projects, a UNIC mini spider crane was hired to carry out maintenance work on the Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich, Cheshire, UK.
A UNIC URW-095 mini crane provided a practical, efficient and cost-saving lifting solution for work at the top of the boat lift where its basin connects with the Trent & Mersey Canal. The Anderton Boat Lift opened in 1875 and after being restored in 2002 as part of a £7 million project it is still regularly used to lift boats between the canal and the River Weaver.
To carry out essential inspections and repair work the boat lift needed to be drained, so the UNIC mini crane lifted a number of 5 metre long stop planks ready for installation. The mini crane worked alongside the waterway at a 5 metre radius to lift each of the 90kg stop planks. The crane revisited the site a few days later to remove the planks again after all the maintenance work had finished.
There are only two functional boat lifts left in the UK, the Anderton Boat Lift and the Falkirk Wheel. UNIC mini cranes have also worked on the Falkirk Wheel rotating boat lift in Scotland to help build dams for maintenance projects. Read more about how a UNIC mini crane also helped with a lock inspection by installing stop planks at this Cheshire canal lock.
