Did you know that a workstation bridge crane played an essential part of creating a one-of-a-kind claw machine game out of a GMC truck bed? Here at Kristian Electric, we like to say that the overhead crane business has its ups and downs. However, one of the most rewarding aspects of our business is using our decades of knowledge and experience to find the best lifting solutions for our customers.
This year, we had the opportunity to apply our expertise by assisting the Exhibit Studio team in creating a giant pickup claw machine game for the 2023 Calgary Stampede. Working with an idea from Momentum Worldwide, Exhibit Studio designed a system to have users move the claw from a control station that simulated driving a GMC Denali. A camera was mounted on the claw, allowing users to get a bird's-eye view of the truck bed, where they could try to retrieve hard-coated styrofoam prize boxes. These boxes featured different graphics representing various exciting prizes, including Yeti coolers, kayaks, BBQs, and more.
When Exhibit Studio realized they needed a crane to turn this vision into reality, they turned to our team at Kristian Electric Calgary. Sales representative Leonard Forcey, responsible for finding the right overhead crane solution, started by gathering all the project details.
Every new crane solution begins with a detailed consultation and plan by our team of experts, considering all aspects of the project, including lifting application, project timelines, facility limitations, and applicable regulatory requirements.
After reviewing the scope of work and project details, Leonard determined that a freestanding workstation bridge crane would be the optimal crane system for the giant claw machine. This crane would not only be fully motorized but also equipped with a full remote-control function that could work with Exhibit Studio's custom control system to move the claw up and down. "Considering what they needed [the crane] to do," he explained, "I knew a workstation crane would be the best fit for providing full movement for this project."
Although the custom aluminum claw used for the claw machine weighed less than 50 lbs, we supplied a Spanco freestanding workstation bridge crane with a 2000 lbs lifting capacity.
The next challenge was meeting the project timeline. The GMC pickup giant claw machine game was needed for the Calgary Stampede in July, giving us just a few weeks. With the optimal crane solution in place, our next step was organizing the construction, painting, and shipping of the workstation crane to meet the project's tight schedule.
Having been in the crane and hoist supply business for over fifty years, Kristian Electric has built strong, long-lasting relationships with our extensive dealer network. These relationships came in handy when we needed them most. The remarkable team at Spanco in Las Vegas manufactured, custom painted, and shipped the workstation crane to our Calgary team in just twenty days.
With the custom workstation crane in hand, it was finally time to install it on-site at the Calgary Stampede. While these workstation crane systems are typically designed to anchor in 6 inches of solid concrete, the temporary nature of this project meant that we needed to find an alternative, less-permanent solution for crane installation. Our Kristian Calgary team enlisted a structural engineer to mount the workstation crane on rig mats to ensure its stability during the 10 days of the Calgary Stampede without permanent installation.
As you can imagine, turning a workstation crane into a giant claw machine game required more than just the crane. To learn more about this incredible project, we encourage you to check out Exhibit Studio’s writeup on their blog.
Kristian Electric was thrilled to collaborate with the Exhibit Studio team to provide a custom freestanding workstation bridge crane for this one-of-a-kind GMC giant claw game. While the crane business is full of ups and downs, this partnership was unquestionably one of the most exciting projects we have completed in the past few years!
If you are considering building your own giant claw machine or just in need of a custom crane solution in Calgary, Edmonton or Saskatoon – please contact our team at Kristian Electric today!