I finally got an answer about that red scissor lift that's been trapped behind the yellow exterior wall for a few weeks. The framers and drywallers just kept right on moving, and now the decking is completly closed in with headers in place, leaving that lift totally boxed in against the facade. I caught up with the drywall foreman today becasue I was dying to know how they plan on getting it out of there without a ramp. He told me they’re just going to use one of the tower cranes to pick it out over the side. It’s going to be an absolute mess to rig up because it's sitting right against the new wall. Even with a tagline, that thing is going to swing and probably shred the drywall they just finished installing, but the super already gave the green light. I’m just going to grab a coffee and watch the show when they finally strap it up; not my trade, not my problem, but it’s definitely going to be a hell of a crane pick.
Update on the lift situation at the corner deck
Sep 19, 2026
Last reply: 10 hours ago
4 Replies
I saw this exact scenario happen on a hotel build a few years ago. We had a JLG 1930ES stuck on the fourth floor because the site super pushed the exterior cladding crew way too fast. Instead of just blind-lifting it over the edge and hoping for the best, the crane op insisted on using a spreader bar. It kept the chains from crushing the top rails and gave us enough clearance from the new EIFS. The biggest headache wasn't the lift itself, it was the drywall. Even with two guys on taglines, that lift wanted to spin the second it caught a breeze coming off the lake. We ended up taping heavy moving blankets over the finished corners of the window openings just to be safe. If your foreman isn't planning on padding those edges, you’re definitely going to see some crushed corners and a lot of extra mud work in his future. It’s wild how often the schedule gets ahead of the logistics on these big projects.
I've seen guys try to crane those out, but usally, the super realizes the cost of the crane call-out and the potential damage to the finishes isn't worth it. On a medical office building I worked on last summer, we had a Skyjack SJ3219 trapped in a similar spot after the masonry crew closed up the last exit point. Instead of risking the exterior facade, we actualy ended up unbolting the railings and the platform, then used a heavy-duty pallet jack to shimmy the base over to the freight elevator opening that hadn't been framed in yet.
It took three guys about four hours to strip it down to the chassis, but it was way cheaper than a $2,500 crane mobilization fee. If they relly go trough with the crane pick right against that fresh drywall, someone is going to be back there with a bucket of mud and a sanding block for three days. Those Genie and JLG units aren't exactly aerodynamic when they start catching a breeze five stories up.
Man, I've seen that show before. It's always the same story with schedules being too tight. If the super's alredy greenlit the pick, he's prolly already factored in the rework costs just to keep the crane on schedule. I'd bet money they don't even bother with blankets and just tell the mudders to fix it later. Hope you got a good view for when they fly that thing, 'cause if the wind kicks up, that drywall's gonna look like Swiss cheese.
If that’s a Genie GS-1930, they better check the floor load before they start dragging it toward the edge for the hookup. I saw a crew try this with a Liebherr LTM 1100 and they didn't account for the boom deflection. The second that lift left the deck, it swung back and punched a hole right trough the densglass. If the super is smart, he’ll have the riggers use a set of 20-foot Crosby wire rope slings to get some decent lead. Otherwise, you're looking at a $5k glass replacement bill before lunch.
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