Hird has rapidly developed a leading reputation for supplying spider cranes for glass handling – so you can be sure to get the right equipment and the best technical advice. Spider cranes are a specific type of mini crane which have stabilising legs which are deployed when the crane is in operation. Using stabilising legs in this way has two major benefits. The body of the crane can have a compact design, so can be moved into restricted spaces. A spider crane can also be used on uneven surfaces. Once deployed, though, a spider crane is a very stable platform used to lift and manipulate large objects and relatively heavy weights. This makes spider cranes excellent for glass handling, as glass is both heavy and, due to modern design taste, often comes in large and irregular shapes. We have experience of working on some of the most prestigious and exciting glass handling...

Vacuum lifters are sophisticated pieces of equipment which can be used in conjunction with mini cranes and spider cranes to carry and manipulate glass sheets. Hird has a wide range of vacuum lifters for sale and hire, including the Woods Powr-Grip range and glass handling attachments supplied by Kappel, including the popular Hydraulica range. We can provide you with vacuum lifters designed to lift many types of glass, from small sheets, to large, complex curved sheets now been used more and more on modern buildings. Hird is now also the UK and Ireland distributor for the new ‘Eco’ range of electric glazing robots from Winlet– which provide excellent glass manipulation capabilities with clean-energy drive systems. Vacuum lifters use suction cups to grip glass sheets while they are carried and positioned. We also supply hand suction cups, from Woods Powr-Grip and Bohle...

If you need to work at height, the chances are you will consider using cherry pickers – which are highly versatile powered access machines that provide safe and versatile aerial platforms to work from. Hird can offer a wide range of cherry pickers, also known as aerial booms or aerial lifts, for use in both indoor and outdoor working environments. When choosing which cherry picker to hire, consider these key points: Are you working at height indoors or outdoors? For indoor use, an electric cherry picker will be required, while outdoors, a diesel cherry picker might be the best option What height are you working at? Hird has cherry pickers that can operate at heights ranging from 10m to 20m for electric booms and 12m to 26m for diesel booms What are you using the cherry picker for? We can provide cherry pickers with different sized platforms, to allow more...

The only thing that’s scary about spider cranes is their performance. Given their relatively small size as mini cranes, they can pack a big punch. Hird has an excellent range of UNIC spider cranes for hire and for sale. A spider crane can be the best option for a range of industrial uses including construction, glass handling, facilities management and site maintenance and repair. The compact design of a spider crane means it can work effectively and safely in areas where space is limited. Its relatively low weight and the use of outriggers (from which it gets its spider crane name), means spider cranes can lift relatively high loads to a wide working radius, even on ground surfaces where weight distribution is critical. UNIC spider cranes move around on rubber tracks, which means they are sometimes called crawler spider cranes. They can quickly be moved into place,...

Hird is marking its appointment as the UK distributor for 3B6 load monitoring systems by demonstrating their benefits at Vertikal Days next month. The company will be showing off 3B6 on a dedicated stand at the UK and Ireland’s fastest-growing lifting and access event, taking place at Haydock Park, Merseyside, on June 26 and 27. 3B6 produces electronic control systems, including load monitoring devices, focusing primarily on cranes, including mini cranes, lifting equipment and plant machinery. Phil Hird, Managing Director of Hird, said: “We are getting a lot of interest for 3B6 and thought it a good opportunity to show visitors to Vertikal Days what the load monitoring systems can do." "We would like to invite visitors to the event to come and see us in the market place. We will be putting on displays of what different 3B6 modules can deliver.” 3B6 systems and...

Hird is celebrating 30 years of the delivering a reliable, high quality and cost-effective contract lifting service to industry. Many customers take advantage of our mini crane hire service, offering the modern, high performance lifting equipment in the UK, including Valla mini cranes and UNIC spider cranes. Our contract lifting service takes our service a step further. We provide the mini cranes and other lifting equipment, plus qualified and experienced crane operators. We also take responsibility for planning and executing the lift safely and effectively. We have been providing a contract lifting service since 1983. Our teams are trained to comply with BS 7121 Safe Use of Cranes, plus LOLER and PUWER regulations. While the customer retains some key liabilities, one of the benefits of using the Hird contract lifting service is that we retain responsibility for the...

The UNIC URW 094 mini crane is the smallest and lightest mini crane in the world – but like all the machines supplied by Hird, it does a big job. It weighs in at just 1,000kg but still has a lifting capacity of 995kg so is perfect for use in confined spaces. At just 0.595m wide, it will fit though a single doorway and is both small enough and light enough to be carried in many standard passenger lifts. Yet its 5.49m boom gives the URW094 a maximum hook height of 5.6m and a maximum working radius of 5.17m. The mini crane also has radio remote control operation as standard and configurable outriggers, which can also be easily detached, along with the boom, either for transportation or to aid access to difficult-to-reach lifting positions. The UNIC URW 094 is an excellent mini crane for a wide range of applications, including glass installation, machinery lifting and...