Hydraulic Boom Gantry Safely Transports 120 ton Machine Bed
Customer
Location
Challenge
Gushee’s Rigging and Heavy Hauling, the premier machinery mover in New England, was tasked to safely transport a 243,000 pound machine bed for one of its customers. The machine bed had to be unloaded from a truck, uncrated and placed in a 6-foot deep pit inside a building.
The 60-feet long by 13-feet wide machine bed was not only large and heavy, but also extremely expensive. The machine bed was worth about 3.5 million dollars. Gushee’s Rigging and Heavy Hauling wanted to ensure a safe and efficient lifting procedure.
When searching for a manufacturer to assist with the transportation of the machine bed, Gushee looked to the market for the best and most reliable equipment.
"I tend to buy what I feel is the best equipment on the market at the time, and that was Enerpac. In my opinion, there’s very little competition other than Enerpac, when you want the best," said Daryl Gushee, founder and president of Gushee’s Rigging and Heavy Hauling.
Solution
Enerpac supplied its SBL500 hydraulic boom style gantry, 40-feet long header beams and gantry skid track to help with the job. The gantry assisted in unloading the machine bed from the transport trailer to unleveled ground and the crate was removed from around the machine bed. The machine was then lifted again with the SBL500 hydraulic boom style gantry and placed on a trailer to move through a narrow door into the building.
Using the hydraulic gantry’s Intelli-Lift wireless control system, operators were able to swiftly and easily lift the machine bed with the SBL500.
"When we first lifted the machine bed, some of my team didn’t even realize it was already off the ground as they expected it to sway or show some sign of movement. The machine bed lift was 'as smooth as silk'," said Gushee.
Once inside, the SBL500 was used to lift the bed off the trailer, and with the 40-feet long header beams, Gushee’s team side shifted the machine bed to its destination into the pit without having to tear down and move the gantry. Featuring a low-profile, integrated drive system, the side shift heads communicate with each other efficiently to allow for a smooth move.
"The header beams and sideshift heads were a huge time saver as we were able to move the machine bed in one single move, instead of having to break down the gantry and move it again," added Gushee.
In addition to a smooth lift, the SBL500 allowed for a quiet lift with its self-contained hydraulics and electronics. Featuring electrical hydraulic pumps in the towers, the SBL500 does not require gas or diesel operation, which can often be noisy and disruptive on the jobsite. The riggers and gantry operator were easily able to communicate.
The overall lift was completed successfully and safely, and in only two days.
"The lift was perfect in every way. We were done in two days, instead of the anticipated week. In comparison to other gantries I’ve used in the past, the Enerpac SBL500 by far exceeds them with the smoothest lift I’ve ever experienced," said Gushee.
Gushee’s Rigging and Heavy Hauling plans to use the Enerpac SBL500 for many more lifting projects in the future.
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