Fly Weight Recovery

[Iand]

Hi

 

I hope someone here can help.

We want to recover approx 500 weights from our disused fly tower. The fly floor is only accessible from a vertical ladder. Each weight is approx 11 kg. The only safe way we can come up with is to lower each one in a basket on a rope but this is obviously going to take time. has anyone recovered a large number of weights before or can anyone think of a quick, safe way of removal?

 

Ian

[PoppaDom]

Although it is disused is there anywhere that is still load bearing? Is it possible to rig a motor / chain hoist anywhere?

[erroneousblack]

What other kit is still there? Reading between the lines it sounds like you don't have the cradles/brakes still available, otherwise it'd be pretty simple. Is cost an issue also?

[Ike]

Tie a rope to bucket, put one end round a couple of bits of scaff, pulleys or other suitable anchors at grid level and pull the rope so the bucket is level with the fly floor. Fix a sandbag that's slightly heavier than the bucket to the other end at stage level, place a bit of scrap wood under the bucket to protect the stage surface and move everyone out of the way. Place a counterweight in the bucket and get someone to remove it if it hasn't fallen out when it hits the deck, the bucket will then return to the fly floor. Do not place a weight in the bucket if anyone is near by as if you miss or the bucket breaks not only could the weight kill someone but it could bounce, break stuff and cause shrapnel. The person on the ground will most likely get a bit cocky after the first few so you need to be extra certain they're out of the way, if they start approaching before the bucket hits the deck do not load any more and find someone else to retrieve the weights. Don't try to stop the rope with your hands, it won't work and it will hurt like hell. Don't allow anyone in the area who does not know what's going on and appreciate the risks.

 

This solution is probably not LOLER compliant. :D

[Iand]

Thanks Ike

 

I am not covinced I could persuade anyone to be anywhere near stage level while the bucket is decending but a good idea.

Yes, cost is a factor as they are going for scrap so any money we spend on recovering them comes off the price we get. There are some very hefty RSJs above the grid.

All of the cradles/brakes are working is there a safe way of using them to lower the weights?

 

 

Ian

[Ike]

Hang bucket off a bar and fly it in and out to lower the weights, at 11kg you should safely be able to do a couple at a time assuming you have some experience with counterweight flying. The set should be counterweight heavy when empty and you must still be careful not to have anyone in the line of fire when loading the bucket. Never let a counterweight set run free.

 

Again probably not LOLER compliant - I'm guessing you don't have a rated bucket?

[Iand]

Thanks Ike

This would work and if it were just a few weights I would try it but I feel that during the removal of 500 at least one would drop during the transfer to the bucket and that seems too big a risk to take.

No we don't have a rated bucket.

[TomLyall]

If the cradles can be loaded / unloaded from the fly floor and ground, just use them to shuttle the weights down - no bucket needed.

[Ike]

If you hung the bucket from the line with a short length or rope/wire/chain you could hook it in and load it over the fly floor. If your fly floor is relatively open you might want to put some boards up to stop any bouncing out if you did drop them. Having a couple of people on the fly floor means one could hook it and hold it while the other loads then slowly let it out again and lower it to the deck.

 

To be honest if the person on the ground is trustworthy and knows what they're doing I can't see the problem - they take the weights out and walk to the other side of the stage from where they don't move until they see the next lot safely on the ground.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

If the cradles can be loaded / unloaded from the fly floor and ground, just use them to shuttle the weights down - no bucket needed.

Dropping a weight between sets in a situation like this can be more dangerous than over the other side as there's more chances of it bouncing* or smashing things therefore making it harder to avoid. In almost every installation I've seen loading and unloading cradles is also much more difficult than loading and unloading a bucket.

 

*For a while there was a decent sized hole in one of the big Manchester theaters after one of these incidents, the TM who was standing a couple of foot away at the time still jumps every time he hears a clang!

[Iand]

If the cradles can be loaded / unloaded from the fly floor and ground, just use them to shuttle the weights down - no bucket needed.

 

Unfortunately the cradles don't reach stage level (Double Purchase?)

[Andrew C]

Can you get a telehandler or forklift on to the stage? It would seem the sensible solution (without the "Paddy and the Bricks" risk).

[paulears]

I'm very confused. 11kg is a lot less than the weights that have to be flown, so two or three as a straight drop isn't a big deal, surely? If the bucket idea is no good, then borrow a builders fabric sack. Whenever we have to take heavy stuff up to the flys - ours is a huge area and we store flight cases, and other heavy stuff up there - we use a pully with a weight on one end, the load on the oher, that way you only need to haul half up, or down, the weight working as a counterweight - not enough to balance one way, too much the other, if you see what I mean. Even with 150 to shift, it shouldn't take very long.

 

If the bar ends are close to the fly rail, then the bucket bag idea seems best - a couple of weights out of balance, should mean you could do 4 at a time. Once you get a system going with clear calls for start and stop all will be well. You could tape off a safe area if it make sense. That's less than forty 'journeys'. Gt a big truck to get that much metal to the scarp yard? Risk assessment wise, the trip to the truck may well be more dangerous than the removal from the fly floor?

[DaveBeattie]

Could you not use a builder's skip chute? Trail it across the stage to the opposite wall and face it into a cellarman's pig. The pig should easily be able to absorb the impact.

 

Dave

[revbobuk]

...and face it into a cellarman's pig. The pig should easily be able to absorb the impact.

 

I love the sound of that. I know I shouldn't ask, but what exactly is a cellarman's pig, and where do you get one?

[bruce]

I would guess that it's the "cushion" thing that brewers use when unloading beer barrels from a lorry. Years ago, when I worked in a pub, it was a sack full of old rags. More recently, I've seen them using blue PVC things, not unlike small gymnasium "crash mats".

 

Just a guess!

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

Alternative solution: If the weights are being scrapped, let the scrap people collect them from where they are! you may get less money, but it means that the removal becomes someone elses problem...