It may be the oldest and largest provider of lifting and rigging services to the industrial sector, but Bullivants is staying young and vibrant, with its fresh product range providing new opportunities to the industry it knows so well.
Standing by its commitment to improve safety standards across the lifting sector, Bullivants has developed the new Adapta sling to provide a simpler option for riggers and less hassle on site.
Bullivants began development of the Adapta adjustable sling as a synthetic alternative after hearing customers complain about having to lower crane hook blocks down to shorten up the heavy chains they were using.
Lifting assemblies manufactured from chain and wire rope can be heavy and extremely difficult to handle and position safely.
The Adapta adjustable sling is significantly lighter than an equivalent chain or wire rope. With proof and type testing already completed, Bullivants has ensured it can stand up to the rigours of industry.
Prototypes were built from as small as 3mm AmSteel® Blue with WLL 340 kgs 2 and 4 legs through to the 36mm samples presented today. They were tested on balanced and unbalanced loads to ensure they are prepared to be sent to market.
Among the features of the Adapta adjustable sling are:
• Available in single leg, 2 leg and 4 leg versions
• WLL from 2.8t to 17t with larger sizes available on request
• Manufactured with AmSteel® Blue HMPE Dyneema® Rope
• High strength to weight ratio
• Eye chafe protection cover against sharp edges
• Optional chafe cover for additional sling body protection
• Supplied with NATA certificates
• Compliance with AS 18264
When chain and wire rope lifting assemblies fail in service the following can occur without warning:
• Wire ropes can whip around side to side owing to stored energy
• Chain slings can release metal shrapnel flying in all directions
The HMPE synthetic adjustable lifting assemblies manufactured from AmSteel® Blue are torque free and have a safer energy release at failure.
Bullivants has been manufacturing HMPE Lifting and Recovery Assemblies from Samson Ropes AmSteel® Blue for over 15 years.
Bullivants is a firm believer in its zero-harm policy which permeates through everything it does to lower injuries and deaths in the lifting sector.
The zero harm benefits of the Adapta adjustable sling include lowering risks for potential back and hand injuries and ensuring it is proof tested to twice the working load limit as per Australian Standard AS 18264.
Laurie Patterson of Patterson Mobile Cranes has been trialling the Adapta adjustable slings for his highly specialised range of work on the Mornington Peninsula.
Patterson Mobile Cranes focusses on challenging unconventional lifts with a range of Jekko mini cranes and other smaller mobile cranes.
The Adapta adjustable sling was used by Patterson mobile cranes to lower its Jekko SPX424 into the site at Hastings Club. The Jekko weighed 2.7t and was lowered in by a Franna.
Laurie Patterson explains why he turned to the Adapta sling.
“The benefit of the sling for us is the ability to shorten it as we need it, it gives us great flexibility on site particularly when we are working in confined spaces,” Patterson said.
“We have used chains and other rigging equipment previously to lift our equipment but it always scratches it up, so by using the Adapta adjustable sling we are able to keep our gear in pristine condition,” he says.
National Training Manager at Bullivants Andrew Taylor took the Adapta adjustable sling to the CICA national conference and got excellent feedback from CICA attendees, who were excited to see the full display.
“People could not believe how safe and easy the Bullivants Adapta adjustable sling is to adjust and release if you need to extend one or more legs in order to balance the load,” Taylor says.
“Being 100 per cent synthetic you get the benefit of a lightweight sling, but unlike a round sling or a flat web sling you can adjust the leg length.”
“If we can help take weight off the hook block, we can help the operator gain more operating radius,” he says.
The development of the Adapta adjustable sling is not the only thing keeping the team at Bullivants busy.
The company recently announced it would be stocking the verope range of end stops for Mobile Cranes nationally.
Verope is an approved supplier to Liebherr, Terex and Demag whilst also operating as the OEM to Casagrande, Demag and Liebherr. Bringing the verope product into its range, Bullivants can better support operators with a high-quality product that matches manufacturer specifications.
Verope has developed Verope End Stop Socketing (VESS) based on required specifications of the major crane manufacturers, suiting different types of reeving systems.
The company has also authorised Bullivants as an approved supplier to carry out installation of the high quality VESS systems.
Bullivants has worked closely with verope to ensure it can support this offering.
Technicians and operators at Bullivants have been certified by verope to carry out the installation and servicing the end stops.
Bullivants is also expanding the verope end stop capabilities to a national market, which it says will give the customer a broader range of options than is currently available for OEM certified assemblies.
Adding this product and service to Bullivants’ scope of work allows customers to enjoy a one stop shop of convenience. Customers will no longer have to source rope and fittings, and labour capacity from different locations.
Bringing the stainless-steel end stops to its Australia-wide servicing base, Bullivants anticipates a greater capacity to service larger cranes in the market.
The Bullivants team also had the opportunity recently to attend the CICA national conference, allowing its members to give feedback on Bullivants products and understanding the needs of industry, Product Manager Partha Ghosh explains.
“CICA 2022 was a chance for the team and I to meet a lot of people in the crane industry after a gap of many years. Meeting industry leaders and discussing what is currently happening in the market both on the new crane development the new industry alliances was a great experience,” Ghosh says.
“It was interesting to learn about how the crane sector was able to weather the COVID storm and feel very happy to note that the industry has adapted to this well and came out stronger.”
“The crane industry is looking for innovation and from the feedback received on the Bullivants Adapta sling, I feel Bullivants are able to offer such exciting innovations,” he says.