By Lynn Porter, Daily Journal of Commerce

An Olympia company is selling and leasing a system it said lifts materials and equipment into multi-floor building projects at less cost than using a man and materials hoist.

West Coast Hoist and Deck is the exclusive manufacturer, dealer and distributor of the LTD4000, which was invented by retired tower crane operator Kern Baxter of Florida, said Kris Hislop, the firm's sales manager. West Coast pays Baxter a fee per unit sold.

With the LTD4000, a hoist is attached to a temporary decking system with a retractable floor that is affixed to the building under construction. Additional temporary decks with retractable floors are installed on each building level below the hoist. Materials and equipment are hoisted through the retractable floors. When the goods reach the correct level, the floor is extended and the goods are placed on it. The floor then retracts into the building, where the stuff is off-loaded.

The system can lift 4,000 pounds up to 250 feet as-is, and heavier loads if a larger wire rope is installed, Hislop said. It is secured at each level by shoring posts that extend from the unit's I-beam legs to the ceiling.

The LTD4000 costs $8,500 per month to rent or $85,000 to buy, and it can be operated by any person given orientation on it.

Hislop said that compares to the $20,000 to $25,000 a month it can cost to rent a man and materials hoist and the required operator.

A crane is needed to set the hoist-equipped top deck of the LTD4000 onto a building.

West Coast Hoist and Deck was founded in 2010 by Eric Snell, an owner of Snell Crane Service in Olympia, and Matt Hultman, owner of Pacific Coast Contracting in Aberdeen. They learned about the product at a trade show, Hislop said.

An LTD4000 was rented to Mortenson Construction in 2009 by Snell Crane, prior to West Coast being formed. Mortenson was the first customer for the product by the firm. It used it to build the five-story, 90,000-square-foot Swedish/Ballard building, which opened late last year.

Mike Muth, assistant superintendent with Mortenson, said the company would use the LTD4000 again on a tight site such as Swedish/Ballard.

The LTD4000 is smaller than a man and materials hoist, he said. “(It was) a very easy piece of equipment to use” and “it was quite a cost savings as well.”

Hislop acknowledges this is not the best time to be in the construction equipment business.

“It's a horrible market right now, but as the market picks up so will our business,” he said. “We're willing to deal because it's a bad market.”

West Coast is looking for other LTD4000 dealers/distributors in the United States so it can cover a larger area, said Hislop.