OZ Lifting Chain Hoists Lower $250k Car

Winona, Minnesota-based OZ Lifting Products LLC provided equipment for a rigging job that lowered a $250k Lucid Air Sapphire electric car at Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The vehicle was the centerpiece of a holiday-season display in the jewelry section of the store, which is below street level. Getting it there took an overnight operation that involved four 3-ton capacity OZ Premium hand chain hoists, with a lifting height of 30 ft.; beam trolleys attached to 30-ft. long beams; and a customized lifting platform. The 5,600-lb. car combined with the platform for a total load of 10,000 lb.

The steel lifting platform was fabricated by Concord’s in-house certified welders.

To facilitate the lift (lower), four exterior doors were removed, an escalator bank was stripped, and the car was driven to the starting location and driven onto the custom-made platform. Temporary towers were erected by the rigging contractor to support the traveling beams that would allow the car to be travelled from the upper floor out over the lower floor in preparation for the 28-ft. journey down to the vault level.

OZ Lifting’s equipment was utilized at the point of use by the project’s rigging contractor, Glenn Adelson, a NYC Licensed Master Rigger at Concord Rigging, who sourced it from OZ dealer, Eastern Rigging Supply. The steel lifting platform was fabricated by Concord’s in-house certified welders.

The 5,600-lb. car combined with the platform for a total load of 10,000 lb.

Bob Eberheim, of Eastern Rigging Supply, said: “The work was completed upon closure of the store starting on a Friday evening. It took 14 hours to complete the job, due to its complexity, and the constant requirement to complete the lowering process as safely as possible.”

The Lucid Air Sapphire electric car was lowered 28 ft. down to the vault level.

The OZ Premium hand chain hoists are part of a range that spans 0.5-ton to 10-ton capacity. They offer minimal load lifting effort; double reduction gearing provides easy operation. A unique hand-wheel design enables the hand chain to successfully feed directly into the wheel sprocket from many directions and angles. Thus, the operator can use the hoist while standing to the side of, or even above, the load without fear of the hand chain jamming.

The four 3-ton capacity OZ Premium hand chain hoists each offered a standard lifting height of 30 ft.

All-steel construction features a long-lasting powder coat finish, while providing a long and dependable service life in harsh environments. An enclosed and protected Weston-style load brake stays clean and dry during the entire load operation. Hoists are also equipped with a unique twin pawl design for additional reliability. A sealed roller bearing provides smooth, controlled operation of the gears and shafts, which ensures maintenance-free lubrication.

• An article published in the New York Post reported, ‘…it’s probably the biggest stunt the store has pulled off since 1935’.