There are 12 oz. in a bottle of Miller Genuine Draft. And 15,000 lbs. in the Miller Park stadium sign. Guess which one recently needed the services of a crane to lift it?

During this off season at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, a complete overhaul of its video scoreboard system has begun, starting with the removal of the familiar Miller Park sign that’s been in place since the original opening day, April 6, 2001.

The $10 million project began on Oct. 14, 2010, when a crane from Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental of Milwaukee lifted the 15,000-lb., 15 by 75-ft. sign and its 17,000-lb. steel framing from its place above the current scoreboard to make room for a new scoreboard system that will include a built-in Miller Park sign.

Dawes, with four locations in Wisconsin, is a member of the ALL Erection & Crane Rental Corp. Family of Companies based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Miller Park project is being overseen by general contactor Mortenson Construction, with J.P. Cullen & Sons performed the installation and rigging.

The Lift

Dawes’ Grove GMK 6350 all terrain crane (capacity 350 tons [317.5 t]) was positioned in a parking lot outside the stadium for what is known as a “blind pick,” meaning the crane operator could not see the lift spot over the stadium structure. The crane, outfitted with a 196-ft. (60 m) boom and 62-ft. (19 m) jib, had to clear the 140-ft. (42.6 m)-tall center field roof of the stadium and reach 50 ft. inside to the lift area, relying on riggers and the signalperson/flagger to guide the pick. The Dawes team successfully engineered the lift using the web-based 3-D Lift Plan application.

The blind pick could have been a problem, but Dawes provided the right crane for the job and an expert operator.

“It’s another example of how we make projects easier for contractors and help make them more productive,” said Kirk Williams, Dawes sales representative on the project.

The new 6,000-sq.-ft. scoreboard system in center field will become the third-largest video board in the major leagues … and a home run over the center field wall for Dawes.

About Dawes Rigging

& Crane Rental

Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental Inc. is a member of the ALL Family of Companies, providing service throughout the Midwest. The company offers manned and bare crane rental, C.C.O. certified operators, new and used equipment sales, lift planning, aerial and forklift rental, transport and heavy hauling, and 24/7 service.

Dawes is a certified dealer of new equipment for Broderson, Elliott, Genie, Gradall, JLG, Link-Belt, Lull, National Boom Trucks, Peiner, Potain, Skyjack, Sky Trak, Snorkel, Shuttlelift and Terex for Wisconsin. For more information, contact 800/236-5335.

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