Every so often a site qualifies for a free vending machine but the physical route in doesn't exist. No lift. Stairs too tight. Doorway too narrow. Landing you couldn't turn a fridge around on if you had all day. In that scenario the crew doesn't give up — we bring in a hi-ab. That's a truck-mounted crane, and it's how a lot of first-floor Australian workplace machines actually arrive.
When we call for a hi-ab
The decision is usually made on the site walk. If the stairwell won't take a stair-climber safely, the doorway is too narrow even with the front door off, or the internal path has a step-down or a heritage feature we can't disturb, we look up. If there's a first-floor window big enough to pass a machine through, we book the hi-ab.
Removing a window — and putting it back
On most commercial buildings the first-storey window is either sliding aluminium or a fixed pane in an aluminium frame. A glazier removes the sash or the pane before the crane arrives. The machine is slung with rated soft-strop lifting slings, guided in by a rigger inside the room, and set down on a pre-placed protection mat. The window goes straight back in the same day. Facility manager gets photos before and after.
Who pays for the crane?
On the free vending program, the operator wears the install cost. That includes the hi-ab. The workplace pays $0. We do ask for realistic access details up front — a hi-ab that turns up to a site with an overhead powerline or a courtyard the truck can't reach is a wasted day.
How we plan a first-floor crane lift — access checks, glazier, rigger, insurance.
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Hi-ab crane & window vending installs
Our service page for crane-lift installs — access assessment, glazier and rigger coordination, and the sites where a hi-ab is the only realistic route.
See service page →DavidB, VMA
Vending operator & technician
DavidB has 20+ years of hands-on experience across the Australian vending industry. He has configured, installed, removed and transported thousands of machines — from full site rollouts to the quick "pick-up-and-move" jobs that keep a site happy. Starting in repairs, he learned from some of the industry's longest-serving technicians, covering everything from lock changes and fridge decks to vend motors, control boards, coin mechs and note readers. He was also among the earliest installers of Australia's first telemetry systems, helping shape what operators actually need in the back end: product imaging, stock sales, re-ordering, route planning and even catching thieving fillers who did not know the machine was monitored. Later, he moved into supplier roles across note readers, coin acceptors, credit card readers and other cashless acceptance methods including QR code and RFID systems for specialised vending such as PPE machines.