Hydra-Slide low profile system skids transformer under bridge and onto foundation
A 350 t capacity Hydra-Side low profile skidding system was the centerpiece of a multifaceted transformer delivery and installation in Sweden recently.
Image source: Utility Products
Sweden: A 350 t capacity Hydra-Side low profile skidding system was the centerpiece of a multifaceted transformer delivery and installation in Sweden recently.
The LP350 skidded the 264 t transformer under an overpass—a planned manoeuvre on the 40 km (25 mi) route and then into its final position. The 11 m (37 ft) long, 3.8 m (12.5 ft) wide, 4.7 m (15.5 ft) high transformer was delivered by Jinert, a Swedish lifting and material handling company, for its customer, DSV, a global transport and logistics firm. Including the truck, the entire transportation weighed in at 360 t.
Jinert purchased the LP350 after having attended Rapid Response Solutions’ open house event at its Portsmouth, UK facility last September. There, Hydra-Slide’s European distributor showcased and demonstrated the entire range of equipment, including the LP350.
Joakim Andersson, heavy project division at Jinert, said, “We already had an extensive fleet of equipment, but we were challenged with the sliding, lifting and transportation of a transformer from a vessel to its foundation; it was a big project. The planning survey meant that en route we had to unload and slide the transformer under a bridge, reload it and continue the journey, which was the most efficient method of getting it to the site. A requirement was to stay as low as possible, which is why our research led us to the Hydra-Slide product. We worked with a 10 cm (4 in) margin between the transformer and the overpass, sliding approximately 35 m (115 ft).”
The LP350 represents the continued evolution of the low-profile range that also includes the XLP150 extreme low-profile system. In contrast to their heavy track counterparts, these products are completely hand-portable, compact and ideal for use in areas with limited access or clearance.
Source: Utility Products