EVO Synchronous Lifting System lifts a 200 tonne wheel loader safely and efficiently despite uneven ground
Customer
Location
Challenge
Lifting heavy machinery such as haul trucks and wheel loaders can be a challenging task without the right system in place. The process of assembling and transporting an over-dimension vehicle requires several steps, some of which may involve locating and positioning the lifting equipment at the appropriate lift points, removing the wheels, attaching wheel stands, and lowering the vehicle to the ground followed by removing the lifting equipment. Thereafter, a multi-wheel trailer would be placed under the vehicle and the wheel stands removed before it is ready for transportation. Using short stroke cylinders without synchronous lifting would be time-consuming, cumbersome and could introduce additional risk if the load is lifted at different heights.
WesTrac required an efficient, portable and safe solution to lift their Cat® 994K Wheel Loader. The system needed to be operated independently without manual intervention and provide locking function during lift.
The massive 200 tonne Cat wheel loader had to be lifted to a height of 400-450mm with an accuracy of +/- 2mm across four lift points. The process had to be carried out on uneven ground which caused the lifting points to be at different heights. The lifting equipment needed to work independently to the pump and required forklift pockets so it could be maneuvered into place easily.
To overcome these challenging circumstances, a high-precision lifting system was required to ensure that the wheel loader was lifted at level regardless of the ground conditions.
Solution
Utilizing proven synchronized lifting technology, combined with an expertise in high tonnage cylinder manufacturing, a customized Enerpac solution was developed.
With an intuitive user interface, the Enerpac Synchronous Lifting System is easy to set up and control. It combines high pressure hydraulics and computer controls to monitor and control precise lifting and movement of heavy loads, such as WesTrac’s 200 tonne Cat wheel loader.
Through an integrated human machine interface, all movements are operated from a central control system which displays live operation and real time status updates of each lifting position. It is able to deliver an accuracy of up to 1mm across all lift points and provides stroke feedback and indicative load at each point. In addition, there are built-in warning and stop alarms to ensure optimum safety.
The custom HCRL-Series 100 Ton 18” stroke cylinders have servo motor-driven lock nuts that provide mechanical load holding across all lift points for a safe work environment. Its hardened and robust surface is designed to resist side-loading and cyclic wear. The locknut drive controller is mounted on the cylinder and keeps the locking collar 3-6mm from the cylinder body. The cylinders are then affixed in custom steel frames with lifting pockets. As the rear of the truck requires a higher lift point, the frames are further attached to stands for additional height. The lifting frames are then placed at the respective lift points with forklifts and connected to a custom EVO-Series Synchronous Lifting System, ready for lifting. A flow of 3L/min is used to ensure that the locking collar adjustment can keep up with cylinder extension and retraction.
At a rate of 1mm/s, the wheel loader is lifted with significant safety and production gains. The auto-locking cylinders provide an improved safety application as the load is always mechanically locked during both lifting and lowering operations. It is a safe and effective solution for applications with potential safety risks of working with hydraulic-suspended loads. In addition, given the portability of the system, it was brought to site easily and could function in a convenient manner.
WesTrac is very happy with the performance of the Synchronous Lifting System, which enabled them to lift their wheel loader in an efficient manner without compromising on safety.
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