Hoeflon C6e moves 690 kg Rubens painting in Antwerp museum

A load that cannot be dropped or scuffed

The painting weighs 690 kg — not a heavy lift by crane standards, but the tolerances are unlike anything on a construction site. The canvas had just come back from an extensive restoration and had to be transferred to another location within the museum. Any contact with structure, any snatch in the movement, and the cost of the mistake is not measured in programme days.

Why a compact crane indoors

The museum brought in specialist contractor Toplifting, which selected the Hoeflon C6e. The machine is fully electric, which matters in an interior full of climate-controlled galleries and finished surfaces, and its compact footprint allowed it to be set up in the confined space available around the artwork.

The C6e lifts up to 3,000 kg, so the painting represented a small fraction of its capacity — which is normally what an operator wants for delicate work, because the crane runs well inside its chart and its movements stay smooth. Combined with proportional controls, that gave the team the fine positioning needed to move the work without risk.

Heritage work as a compact crane market

Museums, churches and historic buildings have become a steady niche for compact cranes. The access constraints are severe, the floors often cannot take heavy plant, and combustion engines are usually out of the question. An electric machine that can be walked into a gallery and set up without damaging anything answers all three problems at once.