While some might be decking the halls this holiday season, others are putting their efforts into lighting up the night—with cranes.
In Seattle, which boasts the most construction cranes in the country, contractors take their crane decorating duties very seriously.
"There's a lot of cranes in Seattle," said Joe Sadler of Exxel Pacific. "And this time of the year, just about every one gets lit up."
According to Sadler, the cost of decorating one crane can cost as much as $10,000, which is typically built into a project's cost.
Brita Nykreim, executive vice president of one of Exxel Pacific's subcontractors, Garner Construction, said crews of three can take up to three days decorating a crane using special rope LED lights, KING 5 News reported.
According to John Gift, a crane operator, the process becomes difficult when he must connect the rope lights with prongs. First, the lights need to be fastened into place and sealed, then Gift uses a blow torch to heat shrink special wrapping to the lights to protect them from the elements, KING 5 News reported.
But is it worth the effort? According to Sadler, no one wants to have the only undecorated crane this time of year.
This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.
