Our crew taking a wrapped 47U rack up a staircase.

A 280 kg rack carried to the ninth floor with a PowerMate stair climber

In December 2022 we took a 280 kg rack up to the ninth floor of a client's new London office with our PowerMate stair climber. The stairs left 2.5 cm either side of the handrails, and the landings were tight, so the machine had to be taken off and put back on at every turn.

Client type: A business moving into a new office in London
Scope: Moving a 47U rack up nine floors of stairs with a PowerMate stair climber
When: December 2022
Where: London, England
Results: The rack reached the ninth floor; it was the last job before the Christmas break

The challenge

The rack weighed 280 kg and had to go to the ninth floor. Nobody carries that by hand, and on a staircase a trolley is no use.

The stairs were the real problem. There was 2.5 cm of clearance either side of the handrails, so the rack and the climber had almost no room.

The landings were tight too. At each one the rack had to be taken off the climber and put back on before the next flight.

Our approach

We used our PowerMate stair climber, which carries heavy kit up stairs. It takes the weight so we aren't relying on strength alone.

The rack went up flight by flight. At every landing the rack was lowered, taken off the climber and put back on, and the next flight started.

The result

The rack reached the ninth floor. It was the last job we did before the Christmas break.

It depends on the machine and the stairs. Here a 280 kg rack went up nine floors. We check the weight, the number of flights, the stair width and the landings before we promise anything, because the layout of the staircase usually limits the job more than the weight does.

Narrow stairs can still work. On this job there was only 2.5 cm either side of the handrails. We measure the rack, the climber and the route in advance, and where it won't fit we say so before the day, not on the stairs.

We can move racks with kit in them, but we agree this first. A loaded rack is heavier and the kit is more exposed, so we strap, pad and plan the route to suit. If the weight is too high we strip the kit out first.

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