Hi, my name is Greg Fahey, CEO of BISON, and I’m really proud to introduce you to the C-Lift A Series.
The A Series is a mobile, automated container hoist that is safe, reliable and easy to use.
With a C-Lift, you can lift containers on and off chassis anywhere on your site.
It's going to save you time and money, and it's going to give you more independence and control over your container operations.
The A Series is compatible with all shipping container types and sizes, including reefers, high cubes, 40 footers and even 53 foot boxes.
It's got a lift capacity of 32,000 kg - that's 70,000 pounds.
It can be used indoors or outdoors - basically anywhere where you have got a firm, level surface and enough space for the truck and the chassis to line up with the container.
The standard system includes: 4 automated lifting hoists, a wireless remote control, a tilt sensor and electric cables
One person can move the legs around easily on their castors.
Or, if you've got a large site or rough ground, you can pick up the legs and move them around with a forklift.
Each leg weighs around 330kg - that's 700 pounds, so you’ll find the C-Lift is best suited to single site use.
If you do need to move the C-Lift between different sites, you can either fork the legs up onto a flatbed, or or use a small truck with a tail lift.
If you need to lift containers out in the field, we've got several other C-Lift models.
Including the P Series, which is a semi-automated system with 32 tonne lift capacity.
And the M Series. This is manually operated and lifts containers weighing up to 20 tonne, or 44,000 pounds.
So, the A Series is quick and easy to set up.
The first step is to attach the carrier frames, which lock into position with a twist lock.
Next, position the legs, using the spacer block to get your distances right.
Then stand the leg upright, so that the load is transferred off the castors, onto the footplate.
The A Series is designed to be used on firm, level ground. However it can handle uneven surfaces. We do this with an articulated footplate, a bubble level and simple wedges to set the leg to vertical and lock it into position.
The next step is to connect the lifting cables to the carrier frame.
Then connect the electrical cables, which run around three sides of the container, leaving an open end for the chassis to move in and out.
The A Series is powered by single phase electric supply. This can be from your mains, or from a portable generator.
You only need one person to set the C-Lift up, but obviously more workers speed up the process. We find it takes 2 people, less than 10 minutes to set the A Series up for a lift.
The lift time is 3 - 4 minutes. If you add another 5 minutes for moving the chassis, all up, it takes a total of around 20 minutes for 2 workers to complete the full operation.
The process is basically the same if the container is on the ground, or up on a chassis.
Once you’ve set the C-Lift up, it’s as simple as powering it on, doing some basic safety checks, and lifting and lowering the container using the wireless remote control.
The remote is really simple - with just three buttons: emergency stop, up, and down.
The control system senses the load and available electric current to optimise the speed of your lift. So if you have an empty container and a good electric supply, you’ll hear the pump and motor speed up after about 10 seconds.
You can also control the lift speed with the remote.
The A Series has a smart self-leveling system, which controls the legs and guarantees that the container stays level.
You can also select and control individual legs or combinations of legs manually if, for example, you want to lower one corner or side down onto the twist locks.
The A Series is packed with safety features.Here's Mark Fahey, who will talk you through some of the safeguards.
First, we have the counter-balance valves that are built into each of the hydraulic cylinders.
The counterbalance valve prevents the oil from escaping unintentionally - for example if a hose was to burst or if the power is cut.
Here, you'll see two lifting cables. These are set up to share the load, but if one were to fail, the other could carry the load safely by itself.
Next, we have emergency stop buttons hardwired into the system - one on each leg, and one on the remote.
If any of these buttons are pressed, the whole system will come to a complete stop.
You may be wondering about the roller bars at the top the cylinder.
This doesn't touch the container in normal use, but serves to reduce the gap between the leg and the container and would stabilize the system in the event of an accident.
Finally, the A Series is manufactured from high strength structural steel.
Every leg is proof tested to 150% of its rated load before it leaves our factory.
On the topic of safety, one of the key risks you need to manage is to make sure the chassis doesn’t contact the legs.
The A Series has a lift height of 165 cm, that’s 65 inches.
That's ample clearance for a regular chassis to drive underneath the container.
Between the legs and the chassis, there is a total of 50 cm, or 20 inches, of clearance.
In the A Series Operating Manual we detail 11 tips for ensuring safe reversing under the elevated container.
Firstly, there are some basic steps you should always take:
Take your time
Reverse slowly
Make sure there is good alignment first
Ensure good lighting
And use a spotter
There are some enhanced steps that we recommend:
Add guide strips to assist the driver
Place marker cones in front of the legs to alert the team if the container moves off line.
Or you can install guide rails and bollards to protect the legs.
So another question we often get asked is : how easy is it to line up the chassis with the container.
We find that most drivers can get good alignment with the twist locks the first time. If they don’,t they can always pull forward and re-align.
You can find the twist lock by lowering one corner, or side of the container, and you can use this container alignment accessory to help guide the container over onto the twist lock.
We take training and safety seriously. To help you with this, we supply:
A comprehensive operating and maintenance manual
And a detailed training video with subtitles in most languages.
We can also give you a Task, Hazard and Control Assessment, which you can integrate into your Standard Operating Policies.
Alongside all of our C-Lifts we offer basic and comprehensive service kits, which will reduce down time in the event of a breakage.
We’d also like to talk with you about your operation and come up with a service plan that meets your needs and preferences.
So there you have it, the BISON C-Lift A Series. Your automated container hoist for lifting fully loaded containers - anywhere, anytime, for lower cost.
If you’d like to learn more about how this equipment can save you time and money and give you more control and independence over your container operations, we would love to hear from you. Contact us today.