Bread and butter. Gin and tonic. Lifting and moving. Some things just go together. Where large objects need to be lifted they inevitably need to be moved to or from the lifting location. And the equipment and techniques used for this are as similarly diverse as the equipment used in lifting.
Take the world’s biggest heavy lifting and transportation company Mammoet, for example. The company is well-known for its innovative use of SPMT to move large loads and it has just started a new collaboration with Italian trailer manufacturer Cometto – using Cometto’s MSPE self propelled modular transporter with electronic steering as part of its global SPMT fleet.
Mammoet’s first mission using Cometto MSPE is being carried out in the United Kingdom – with 84 axle lines being used to move jacket structures weighing between 1,850 and 2,300 tonnes.
Following a training session on their new SPMT, the Mammoet operators executed the first job moving a tripod foundation as part of an offshore wind project called Seagreen OWF – a joint venture between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables. The windfarm will comprise 140 turbines and is located 27 km off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea. Once complete the project will provide power to consumers in Scotland.
The tripod had a height of 90 metres and weighed 2,035 tonnes. The 84 axle lines of Cometto MSPE used had a payload capacity of 48 tonnes per axle line and were powered by three Power Pack Units with an output of 368 kW each. 28 axle lines were used in a side-by- side combination positioned under each leg of the tripod. The complete project is expected to last at least 12 months.
With the wind energy sector booming globally other specialised transport companies are also looking for new solutions to transport increasingly large wind turbine components. Greek transport specialist Anipsotiki, for example, is one of the first companies to purchase the new FTV 850 blade transporter from Memmingen, Germany-based heavy haulage expert Goldhofer.
The blade transporter is the ‘big brother’ to the established FTV 550 model, says Goldhofer, and can be used in either standard three-metre width or split module combinations with widths of up to over four metres. Depending on the configuration, the FTV 850 can transport the latest generation of rotor blades that require a load moment of up to 850 metretonnes.
These blades can either be picked up and transported in towed or self-propelled mode.
With the split-combination option and mounting behind the loading area Goldhofer says the FTV 850 offers significantly higher stability combined with low ballast weight. The result is a transportation system with a low centre of gravity and maximum protection from tipping. It also ensures low axle loads and highly cost-effective working.
A range of options are available as well as adapters for various parallel combinations. This, says Goldhofer, makes the FTV 850 well-suited for transporting extralong rotor blades for turbines on sites with low wind speeds.
The mounted rotor blade can be freely rotated around its own axis and raised up to an angle of 60 degrees so that tight bends, buildings and roadside trees are no obstacle.
According to Goldhofer, the FTV 850 is designed for fast and efficient setup for any configuration and can be combined with other Goldhofer modules, namely the PST/SL-E, THP/SL and ADDrive.
Another German specialist transport equipment manufacturer, Scheuerle, part of Heilbronn headquartered Tii Group, has also expanded one of its key product ranges. Its EuroCompact low-bed trailer is now available with larger wheels which the company hopes will help open up new business for heavy haulage companies, as well as for construction, demolition and recycling businesses that transport construction machinery, wind power elements, or components for industrial and energy systems.
With new 285/70 R19.5 tyres the EuroCompact low-bed trailer has a higher axle load. Scheuerle says the upgrade was specifically requested by customers in Great Britain and all of the Scandinavian countries because the previous axle load using 245/70 R17.5 tyres meant that the gross vehicle weight permitted in Great Britain and Scandinavia could not be fully utilised. Due to the new tyres, though, axle loads of up to 17.4 tonnes are now possible.
Scheuerle says that the EuroCompact with its larger tyres is also interesting for markets where the permissible total weight is lower because the 19.5-inch wheels provide two extra inches of ground clearance due to their larger size.
This, Scheuerle highlights, means the risk of getting stuck on road curbs, for example, has been significantly reduced.
The operation of the vehicle´s gooseneck has also been optimised to be more user-friendly, while access to the controls has been ergonomically redesigned. This means lifting groups, steering circuits and gooseneck cylinders can now be operated more intuitively and easily, the company claims, and drivers do not need to enter areas of risk in order to carry out the connections.
A remote control has also been introduced, as seen on the EuroCompact’s smaller FL02 and FL03 models. The remote control enables the semi-trailer to be lifted, lowered and steered from the driver's cab simply by pushing a button.
Scheuerle adds that it is the only manufacturer to offer continuously variable fifth-wheel load adjustment as standard.
Luxemberg headquartered manufacturer of special vehicles for heavy load transport and special transport, Faymonville, has optimised its MultiMAX Plus semi-trailer (formerly known as the EuroMAX), which the company says is particularly suitable for the transportation of mobile lifting and height access equipment. Faymonville has weight optimised its design and it says the semi-trailer offers a high point load capacity. An outer beam construction is designed to provide users with the maximum possible loading area length, while a hydraulic lifting platform is designed to provide easy access onto the gooseneck. A winch can be mounted in front or on top of the gooseneck and different headboards are available to provide storage space for lashing materials.
To facilitate the smooth loading of machines with little ground clearance Faymonville says the MultiMAX Plus has flat drive-on angles in the area of the ramps and gooseneck as well as an optimised rear chamfer.
The loading platform is also available with a 3,000 mm extension in order to optimise the load distribution. 44 lashing rings and 28 lashing points on the loading platform and up to 30 lashing points on the gooseneck are designed to provide the optimal securing of loads.
Available internationally, the three-axle MultiMAX Plus can be ordered in power-steered and friction-steered versions. Despite its all-surface serrated grid floor covering the vehicle has a low loading height – which Faymonville says is an advantage when transporting high machines. The double ramps have a width of 900 mm and also come with a serrated grid floor covering.
The ramps include quay loading supports with a load capacity of 18 tonnes. Hydraulically controlled ramp tips enable the ramps to be opened without stressing the materials, says Faymonville. Thanks to the hydraulic ramp shift, optimal loading conditions can be created for each machine, it adds.
From this overview of the latest specialised transport equipment developments it is clear that innovation remains strong within the sector. The flexibility and range of options available on all the equipment outlined above means that transportation companies are in a better position than ever before to find the perfect combination required to transport a diverse range of loads.
