Bigge's Dedication to Safety

Bigge is always concerned about safety, and we take every precaution to maintain an outstanding record in our industry. From the early planning stages through to the completion of our work, we are committed to being a world class contractor in safety.

Every stage in Bigge's planning process is calculated to promote an injury and accident free environment and provide the safest workplace possible for our employees, clients, other site contractors and the public. We also have a full time Safety Manager who oversees all health, safety, and environmental compliance; he also ensures that all project managers and any on-site employees have completed our innovative work-safety education and training programs.

That's why Bigge has such an impeccable on-site safety record: Our employees have been provided with the proper training and resources. They understand how important the prevention of injuries and accidents is, not only to Bigge, but to all involved in the project. We have been recognized by construction associations and our clients many times for our assiduous adherence to timely and safe project delivery. The prestigious Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association Safety Award has been won by Bigge every year for the past decade.

From engineering to execution of the work by our experienced personnel in the field, we ensure that no matter what, safety is always first.

Replacing the ARU Shell

At a local refinery in California, Bigge was recently contracted to remove an 8,000 lb exchanger shell off of its deck for replacement.

The unit's height and location in the confined area, where it was surrounded by other equipment, made for a challenging lift within the refinery. In order to overcome the conditions we used two cranes, a 265-ton all terrain and an 80-ton rough terrain. Bigge also overcame a second challenge when the complex unit required our team to jump the rigging a few times to get the unit fully out of its enclosure. Despite the conditions and difficulties of the job, our team completed it on time and without ever compromising safety standards.

We have accrued years of experience and an excellent reputation working with refineries, and because of our established rapport with them, Bigge is often contracted for these jobs. If you would like to find out more about Bigge's services within the petrochemical sector please contact David Peralta by email at dperalta@bigge.com or by phone at (925) 699-8234.

A New Ride, A New Rush

Bigge has helped erect and dismantle roller coasters for many amusement parks in the past. It is no surprise then that we continue to be contracted to construct the latest attractions.

The new SkyScreamer is a staggeringly tall tower with a set of rotating open air swings that soar in a 98' circle at over 43 mph! In order to get this tower up and running Bigge utilized a Liebherr 1160 200-ton all terrain crane and a Linkbelt 8675 75-ton hydraulic truck crane.

The park did remain open throughout the construction of this ride, which, in combination with the confined workspace, made it an interesting challenge to maneuver the 25,000 lb. sections into place. Our rigging crews were on site for a total of six weeks, negotiating schedules to work around different events at the park. The cranes worked in tandem to raise each piece into place at a 60' radius.

This job was unique in its challenges and location and gave Bigge a chance to help thrill seekers find a new way to satisfy their inner daredevil.

If you would like to find out more about this project or an upcoming job in your area, please contact Tim Davis by email at tdavis@bigge.com or by phone at (510) 813-9171.

New Cooling Units and A Cable Car Shutdown

In San Francisco, California, Bigge recently replaced a popular hotel's old cooling tower unit with two new units. Under normal circumstances this job could have posed a very difficult challenge. It would have been tough scheduling the lift and transport around S.F. Cable Car and Muni (SF's Municipal Transportation Line) operation. However, we were able to time the transfer in conjunction with the S.F. Cable Car track maintenance project, which was fortunate because it helped to expedite completion of Bigge's job without undue road closure.

In order to place the cooling towers Bigge had to engineer a rerouted line for Muni, a route that bypassed the segment of street Bigge needed to occupy for the replacement. We also had to procure various closure and encroachment permits, an engineer to direct Muni drivers, and two SFPD officers to oversee both ends of the closed street.

For the actual lifting and setting, Bigge used a Liebherr LTM 1220, configured with 163,000 lbs. of counterweight, to pick the original 20,000 lb. wooden cooling tower off of the roof and then set each of the two new 10,000 lb. units in place. The crane was set on seven layers of 6'x6'cribbing and 12" wedge mats, for a total crib pile of nearly 5.5' under the downhill outriggers.

Bigge's ability to work within physically challenging projects. San Francisco is well known for its busy, sloping and often congested streets. Bigge is excellent in not only planning in dense areas of this sort, but also in finding opportunities that will aid a quicker project completion, as in this case, when we were able to plan alongside the S.F. Cable Car shutdown.

If you have an upcoming project in the San Francisco area, please contact Josh Pratchard by email at jpratchard@bigge.com or by phone at (510) 390-4420.

A New FAA Tower

Bigge has recently finished hoisting the steel for the new FAA traffic control tower at the Oakland, California Airport.

The job involved hoisting beams that weighed up to 45,000 lbs. for a tower that, after completion, was just over 200' tall. Working under the direction of the erector, we used a Manitowoc 2250 configured with 170' of main boom and 170' of luffing jib in Series 2 counterweight.

Bigge also supplied the man & material hoist for this project, which presented its own challenges and required some engineered solutions due to the profile of the structure.

This new tower is a welcomed addition to the airport and will serve a much used departure and arrival point for the Bay Area.

To find out more information regarding crawler crane rental or operated and maintained services, please contact Marcus Leaverton by email at mleaverton@bigge.com or by phone at 510-639-4012.

Bigge Storage Solutions

Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. doesn't just handle heavy lifting and heavy transport, we are also a prime storage facility at many of our locations. Featuring covered warehouses and open lay-down yards, we can accommodate nearly every part or component that you may need to temporarily store while in different phases of construction.

Since we have our crane and transportation fleets on site and at our disposal we can accept, transfer and store your materials faster than any other storage provider. Our specialized slings and spreader bars allow us to configure the exact rigging for your equipment, no matter their size or weight.

We can quickly lift and set each piece from its transporter onto our trailers and move them into our covered warehouse. We organize each part that comes through our gates according to size and company, ensuring that no piece is ever misplaced. When a part is ready to be brought to the jobsite we know exactly where to find it in the warehouse or yard and can then load it onto our transport for delivery, precisely when you want it.

Having all of the equipment on site, from cranes and rigging to transport equipment, allows us to handle your components that need storage with the utmost efficiency and cost effectiveness.

If you would like to find out more about our storage facilities and services please contact Marcus Leaverton by email at mleaverton@bigge.com or by phone at 510-639-4012.

Social Networking with Bigge

Did you know Bigge is now part of the social network?

Feel free to follow us on Twitter or 'like us' on Facebook to stay up to date with Bigge's most recent developments.

We are looking forward to sharing our latest projects, videos, photos and more!

You can also find us on Yelp, where you can review your experience with Bigge, and on Manta, where small businesses come together to build connections and promote one another.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biggecrane

Twitter: http://twitter.com/biggecrane

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bigge-crane-and-rigging-co-san-leandro

Manta: http://www.manta.com/c/mmn5t93/bigge-crane-and-rigging