Becker Engineering’s Tirfor winches were used to lift and position the 35 ton FIFA World Cup soccer ball onto the Telkom Hillbrow Tower in Johannesburg.

“Six TU 40 Tirfors were used to lift and position the soccer ball on the Hillbrow Tower,” says Becker Engineering spokesperson, Charlotte Megannon. “These robust units, which are lever operated hoists with a separate unlimited wire rope, handled this abnormal task with the utmost precision. What is unique about these particular winches is they can operate in any position, over any height of lift or length of pull.

“During lifting and positioning of the soccer ball, these hand-operated Tirfor winches – each with a lifting capacity of 4 tons – ensured continuous operation and meticulous control of every movement during installation,” elaborates Megannon.

Changeover from forward to reverse operation was controlled by transferring the operating handle from one lever to another. Sheave blocks were used to increase the capacity of the machines during this installation, at the same time maintaining stringent safety standards.

For more information contact Charlotte Megannon at Becker Engineering, +27 (0)11 617 6300, info@wbsa.co.za, www.za-becker-mining.com