Over the top hinged concrete form and method of using the same

A method of forming concrete structures, the method comprising the steps of:

• placing a concrete form supported at a first installation location, the concrete form having a pair of opposed side panels and at least one openable bottom soffit panel, wherein the side panels and the at least one soffit panel together define a forming space within the concrete form, the concrete form also having at least one transverse top beam movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the at least one transverse top beam remains coupled to the concrete form in both the open and closed positions;
• installing at least one steel reinforcing element within the forming space through a top opening in the concrete form that is accessible when the at least one transverse top beam is in the open position;
• closing and securing the at least one top beam;
• filling the forming space with uncured concrete;
• subsequently curing the uncured concrete to form a first one of the concrete structures;
• and
• subsequently removing the concrete form from the first one of the concrete structures.

A method of forming concrete structures, the method comprising the steps of:

• assembling a concrete form having a pair of opposed side panels and at least one openable bottom soffit panel, wherein the side panels and the at least one bottom soffit panel when closed together define a forming space within the concrete form, the concrete form also having at least one transverse top beam movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the at least one transverse top beam remains coupled to the concrete form in both the open and closed positions;
• installing at least one steel reinforcing element within the forming space through a top opening that is accessible when the at least one transverse top beam is in the open position;
• closing and securing the at least one transverse top beam across the top opening;
• placing the concrete form supported at a first installation location;
• filling the forming space with uncured concrete;
• curing the uncured concrete to form a first one of the concrete structures;
• and
• removing the form from the first one of the concrete structures.

A method of setting up a concrete form, the method comprising the steps of:

• assembling a concrete form having a pair of opposed side panels and at least one openable bottom soffit panel, wherein the side panels and the at least one bottom soffit panel when opened together define a forming space within the concrete form, the concrete form also having at least one transverse top beam movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the at least one transverse top beam remains coupled to the concrete form in both the open and closed positions;
• installing at least one steel reinforcing element within the forming space through a top opening in the concrete form that is accessible when the at least one transverse top beam is in the open position;
• and
• closing and securing the at least one transverse top beam across the top opening.