February’s Feature Job: A Tiny Home With Mighty Measurements.

February was a busy month for us at Cope Crane Trucks with vast and varied jobs taking us all across Melbourne. But the highlight had to be delivering a 4 tonne tiny home to a native flower farm in South Australia.

While many challenges reared their heads, we were able to safely transport and install our client’s tiny home with the help of forward planning and clever rigging techniques.

A Tiny Home For Nelipot Flower Farm

Jacqui and Shane, owners of Nelipot Flower Farm, purchased their very own tiny home from Container Domes And Shelters to host friends and family comfortably on their property. 

Sizing up to 6 metres long and 6 metres wide when fully extended, their 20ft tiny home came equipped with a fully kitted-out kitchen, living area, bathroom and two bedrooms.

But not just any crane truck could lift a tiny home that big – this job required a sizable crane and a capable truck that could go the distance from Melbourne to Finniss, South Australia.

And so Cope Crane Trucks was called.

Confident our Hiab crane truck could get the job done, we agreed to deliver and install their tiny home. And after hearing all about their months-long setbacks, we cleared our weekend schedule and committed to a quick turn-around time.

With a 16-hour round trip ahead of us and a tight arrival time of 11 am Saturday morning, preparation was key.

We couldn’t exactly pop home for an extra sling or spreader bar, so we had to make sure we were prepared for every likely obstacle in order to complete the job safely and swiftly. 

Plenty Of Challenges, Even More Solutions.

At Cope Crane Trucks, we like to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. 

We’ll use foresight to avoid any likely obstacles and we’ll prepare a Plan A, B, and even C for any job we take on. 

That way, if challenges arise (which of course they will) we’re equipped with a medley of solutions. 

That’s exactly how we approached delivering and installing this tiny home. 

We knew that time could be an issue

So we picked up the tiny home a day in advance, and hit the road at an early 2:00am the next morning, covering the majority of our ground before our second coffee could even kick in.

Planning for multiple rest stops to stretch our legs, grab a cuppa and fill up on petrol ensured we weren’t eating into our estimated arrival time every time we had to stop.

We knew that country roads weren’t always forgiving

Potholes, wildlife and road works means long distance trips aren’t always smooth sailing. 

And with 771 kms between us and our destination, we had to make sure our load was 110% secured.

That’s why we chained the tiny home to the bed of our crane truck as tightly as possible so that the humps and bumps of the country roads wouldn’t cause any damage.

We knew that site access would be tight

The tiny home was set to put down its roots in the centre of a large circle made using dozens of mature trees. 

While there was ample space in the middle of the circle, the large branches and limbs would get in the way of our Hiab Crane truck.

We made sure there was a chainsaw onsite to remove any obstructions and put our evasive reversing skills to the test. 

We knew the tiny home was hefty in size and weight

While the tiny home was within our crane’s capacity, variables such as the foundation we’d be installing on and the distance we’d have to reach would all impact the lift.

So we made sure to bring all of our rigging gear, like our lifting slings and lifting shackles, and got creative with our rigging techniques.

Our spreader bar played a vital role in lowering the tiny home, and ensured the load wouldn’t get damaged or crushed by lifting slings. 

The Best Part?

There were many parts of this job that stood out to us. 

It was the first time that Cope Crane Trucks serviced families and businesses outside of Victoria, which is a huge milestone for us!

And, we got to explore the seaside town of Goolwa once we packed up for the day. We ordered parmis, rather than parmas, for a change and took a dip in the surprisingly warm waters down at the beach.

But nothing felt more satisfying than lowering our client’s tiny home into place, and knowing we helped bring their dream to life. 

After months and months of waiting, they were able to finally watch their tiny home vision come to life, and seeing their smiles made it all worth it.

Do You Need Help With Your Next Project?

Whether you’re the new owner of a hydro-pool or have some heavy machinery that needs moving, Cope Crane Trucks is here to help.

We’ll come equipped with best practice techniques and creative solutions to ensure your project is completed safely and swiftly.

Contact us today for a complementary cost estimate.