A jekko SPX532 to install a pipe organ in the USA
The tradition of church music, pursued by the organ makers Fratelli Ruffatti Organ Builders, and innovation, promoted by Jekko machines, have come together in the USA, at the St. Katharine of Siena Parish Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Fratelli Ruffatti Organ Builders is a Padua-based company that since 1940 has been designing, developing, making and restoring historical pipe organs. Already well-known on an international level for their craft masterpieces such as the imposing 16,000-pipe 5-keyboard organ at the Christ Cathedral in California, this time the company was commissioned an organ for the St. Katharine of Siena Parish Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Fratelli Ruffatti dedicated several weeks of intense work to install the instrument. This is a middle-sized yet extremely valuable hand-made organ built on purpose for the St. Katharine of Siena Parish Church. It has 3 keyboards and 2,242 pipes as well as two identical consoles, one located in the choir loft and the other one in the side nave.
The crane needed to transport the instrument into the church, and above all to position a 2-ton console in the choir loft, had to be a solution to fit through the church’s standard-sized doors and to be light enough that it wouldn’t damage the terrazzo floors.
That’s where Jekko came into action.
Colt Vacek, Service Manager of Fascan International, Jekko’s US dealer, declared: “Size, load capacity, smoothness and precision were crucial to the desired outcome. The SPX532 was no doubt the best choice. A single-door model that easily fitted through the church main door and, as a plus for this type of machine, that can work in electric mode so it carried out its work without producing any emissions. The radio control operates the machine from any angle and distance. Today I’m glad to say that the work done at the St. Katharine of Siena Parish Church exceeded by far our expectations!”
“Special care and smoothness are needed to transport and install an organ”, said Michela Ruffatti, responsible for design and manufacturing supervision at Fratelli Ruffatti Organ Builders. “All the parts of an organ are hand-made from fine and valuable materials that need to be treated carefully, especially during transport. The Jekko crane work was simply outstanding, since it was easy and quick in hoisting a heavy load despite its long reach, yet it was extremely smooth in movement. While supervising the work, I was under the impression that it is a user-friendly machine to operate. Installing the organ with the aid of a Jekko minicrane has been an excellent choice”.
Mike Ambrose, of F. Ambrose Rigging, is the man who skillfully operated the Jekko SPX532 in total safety. It was the first time he’d undertook such an unusual work with a Jekko machine but he was remarkably impressed by the performance of this small crane, whose precision hydraulics allows to carry out extremely delicate works. Here is Mr Amborse’s comment: “It’s been really simple to use the machine, it’s extremely versatile from many different points of view and is easily fits in confined places. The electric SPX532 has revealed the ideal machine to work inside the church because it’s emission-free, easy to operate and agile enough to avoid indoor obstacles such as pews, lights or beams that might have compromised the organ installation”.
The installation of this organ in Pennsylvania is nothing but one of the endless working situations where the Jekko machines are the ideal solution. This is exactly the aim of the Treviso-based company: to supply hoisting solutions for any requirements and fitting no matter what working environment.
