Wring then contacted Tomcat UK and the design work started on the four-tower, 18m x 16m system. In just over two weeks, Tomcat and Fineline had designed, engineered and manufactured the necessary components, delivering the system straight into the grounds of Cardiff Castle for the build-up. "I already owned a large quantity of Tomcat’s Extra Heavy Duty Truss, so it made sense to try and use it to create the roof," said Wring. "It was always our intention to turn the truss into a ground support, but this opportunity just took us one step further and a bit quicker than we originally thought!"
One problem posed was that of the towers. Tomcat were unable to manufacture the 20.5" towers as well as all of the other components necessary in time. Unfortunately, Tomcat had not yet sold any of these towers in the UK, so sub-hire was not an option; nevertheless Wring spoke with truss manufacturer James Thomas Engineering who confirmed that they had one customer in the UK who had purchased towers of this size. A quick phone call later, and Wring had his towers, but the customer didn’t have any bases or head blocks available . . . The final solution was for James Thomas Engineering to squeeze four head blocks into their busy production schedule and for Tomcat to produce the bases and outriggers, complete with Thomas Super Truss compatible spigots manufactured by Fineline with permission from JTE.
The structure was used successfully for the fight and Wring is now planning its expansion to create a ten tower system ready for next summer’s events.
(Lee Baldock)
