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50 Year Old CM Lodestars Brochure on LTM Website!
Lift-Turn-Move, “The Lodestar People”, last year celebrated the 50th Birthday of the production industry’s favourite electric chain hoist – the CM Lodestar – with a special edition reprint of the original 1955 product brochure that was available at the PLASA show.
Demand far outstripped supply, so there’s now a fully printable high resolution PDF of the same brochure available on LTM’s website http://www.liftturnmove.co.uk in the ‘publications’ section.
LTM’s John Jones says: “I could hardly believe the interest in the antique brochure, but it seems people genuinely want to learn about the product’s history. The fact that it’s changed very little in certain ways over time is testament to the true quality and practicality of its design, build and engineering.”
He adds the fact that a piece of production industry technology is still in fashion after 50 years is an achievement in itself!
The CM Lodestar hoist, manufactured by Columbus McKinnon based in Amherst, New York was launched in 1955. Since then it has been used for innumerable lifting, moving and rigging tasks in all corners of the world.
Columbus McKinnon reckon built the millionth Lodestar last year, and it’s now an industry standard for much of the world’s concert touring and event productions.
Although the Lodestar retains the same classic shape as it was in 1955, the interior components have changed, reflecting the latest thinking on safety regulations. One of the major reasons Lodestar users have enjoyed such longevity is that revised parts generally fit in place of older components.
Jones reckons there are about 20,000 Lodestars in Europe now. He sold his first units in 1993 to Light & Sound Design (now PRG Birmingham) for a Van Halen tour after the first ones came into the UK in the early 1990s. The oldest one he’s encountered to date is about 25 years young - on the Disney On Ice show. These were single phase units that came in for repair. After two hours work on each and a paint job, they looked good as new!
10th February 2006
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