If you live in a big city, you might not even realise that your skyline is littered with countless cranes helping the construction of the latest buildings and skyscrapers. These enormous yet elegant pieces of technology are nonetheless modern wonders that allow us to create architecture quickly, efficiently and at a scale formerly undreamt of. However, cranes aren’t just used for construction as there are many other unusual things that they have been used for.

Here are six interesting ways cranes have been used for:

Bungee Jumping

Bungee jumping is when someone jumps from a tall structure while connected to a long elastic cord. The person experiences the thrill of falling a long way through the air before bouncing back as the elastic cord stretches. The first modern bungee jump was made in 1979 off of Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol by David Kirke and Simon Keeling, who was inspired by the vine jumping ritual performed by the people of Vanuatu. The word ‘bungee’ actually originates from the West Country dialect and means something that is “thick and squat”.

Since that first jump, bungee jumps have become very popular (especially in New Zealand) and are now performed from cranes, as well as bridges and hot air balloons. Cranes are great for bungee jumping as they are mobile and can thus be set up anywhere that the owner chooses.

Abseiling Using Lifting Equipment

Abseiling is a controlled descent from a vertical drop using a rope. It’s a technique used by mountaineers, climbers, cavers and search and rescue teams to reach difficult-to-reach areas for rescue, exploration or industrial things like maintenance and welding. When people do it for enjoyment, the technique is usually performed from a rock wall but there are now many different applications of abseiling that utilise a crane.

Having a superb meal served to you and friends at a great height creates a fantastic ambience to the occasion, which is why so many restaurants are situated from high buildings and natural features such as cliffs or hills. ‘Dinner In The Sky’ is a novelty restaurant from Belgium that uses a crane to lift its diners, table and waiting staff over 150 feet into the sky. Because cranes are so mobile, the company operated the service in over 45 different locations around the world like Germany and France, to more exotic places such as the Caribbean and Panama.

Rescuing Trapped Animals With Mobile Cranes

One of the best things about cranes is its ability to be moved to difficult locations quickly and efficiently. Being able to apply lifting power to a location speedily is very useful when the terrain is unstable or remote is ideal for times when an animal may get stuck or trapped somewhere. There are many different situations where our pets, livestock or even wild animals become immobilised in an area it can’t get out of without our help. Typical examples of this include rescuing dogs trapped in wells, saving cows from trapped in manholes or even helping elephants back on their street.

NASA’s Space Cranes

Mankind first visited the Moon in 1969 with the successful landing of the lunar module by Neil Armstong and Buzz Aldrin. Since 1972, however, nobody has ever set foot again on the Moon despite all the amazing advances in technology that we have developed since then. Despite this, there has been a new push and plans to visit our closest neighbour again, with the USA, China, Russia and the European Space Agency all revealing programmes to visit the body in the near to medium future.

One key difference between then and now, though, is that astronauts, cosmonauts (and taikonauts) won’t be going just for the achievement – they’ll be going with the intention of preparing for the eventual setting up of a permanently manned base. In anticipation of this, NASA has invented the Lunar Surface Manipulation System – effectively a space crane. This piece of technology is designed to help with the building of lunar settlements and is basically an all-purpose crane that allows for fine positioning with complete control over both translation and rotation of a payload. The design permits several other operations using a wide variety of special purpose tools, such as a bucket, pallet forks, grappling devices, sensor and visualization packages, and dexterous robotic arms that can be quickly added to the tip.

Winston Churchill’s Funeral

Winston Churchill is an enormous figure in British history who was a Prime Minister, a writer, an artist and historian. He is most famous for his role in improving the morale of the country during its darkest hour against Nazi Germany in the Second World War, with his famous wartime speeches and steadfast refusal to consider surrender against huge odds.

When he died at the age of 90 in 1965, Winston Churchill received the largest state funeral in history up until that time. Of the 112 countries in the world currently existing, it was only communist China that did not send an emissary. One of the most iconic images of Churchill’s funeral was the lowering of the cranes’ jibs along the Thames river as his coffin passed over the water to his final resting place. This was an unrehearsed procedure was performed by 36 dockers who brought them down so that they looked like people bowing in a salute in unison, and matched the poignancy of the famous occasion.

Winston Churchill’s wife, Lady Churchill, was known to have said to her daughter Mary that “It wasn’t a funeral, Mary – it was a triumph.”

Armquest Industrial

Armquest Industrial is a Manchester-based industrial services company and crane contractor that has a superb track record in helping its clients. Its primary services include contract lifting, crane hire services, plant life & shift, plant dismantling and hot tub lifting. Armquest Industrial was set up in 1989 and was originally formed with the mission to offer cranage and labour to erect and dismantle bailey bridges and move and install heavy machinery. Our company now specialises in a larger selection of industrial services such as crane lifting and heavy-duty lifting of all description.

With our offices in Manchester, we mainly operate across the North-West of England but still have many wide-ranging customers across the country who value our high-quality crane hire rental. Our customers will attest that we have built up a stellar reputation in the industry, and have become renowned amongst the Manchester region for our reliability, quality of service and professional attitude. Regardless of what your industrial project requires, Armquest Industrial has the skills to deliver real quality on time, every time.

Armquest Industrial is proud to employ an illustrious staff of industrial experts that are both highly qualified at their jobs and have years’ of experience behind them. We invest in only the best in technology and reliable equipment while ensuring that we keep up with the latest models and techniques. Whether you simply require a free quote on your project or would like advice and guidance on the different types of lifting options available, Armquest Industrial always here to help.

If you have a crane or industrial related concern, then feel free to contact our friendly customer service staff today. Phone us on 01617 278 578 or email us via stevegroves@armquest.co.uk for a speedy response.