A Florida-based company was planning a year-long computer upgrade to one of its US Army combat training simulators, installed inside a full-size road-going trailer. In order to do the upgrade, the trailer had to be inside the company’s building. The ramp leading to the building was too steep for the two-axle trailer to drive up without damaging it. Crane Rental Corp was called in, and developed a plan that relied on two cranes and a forklift.
It brought in a couple of 70 US ton capacity Link-Belt HTC-8670LB truck cranes to lift the trailer. Crane Rental lifted the trailer as it would lift a boat, from below. The trailer was trussed up with three 10ft lifting beams underneath. Wire ropes ran from the edges of the bars up to two spreaders above. One simple 10ft bar spreader took two lines; the other square 10ft by 12ft boat bar took four lines. Wire rope slings linked the spreaders to the crane hooks.
The trailer was hooked up to go into into the bay backwards. First, the two cranes tandem-lifted the trailer up above the loading platform, and then swivelled it around until the back end of the trailer reached the top end of the ramp.
Then the Hyster diesel forklift drove inside the facility and attached to the trailer with a specially modified fifth-wheel attachment. The crane supporting the boat bar rigging truss was detached. The forklift pulled, and the remaining crane swivelled the front end of the trailer inside the building. The crane was disconnected just before making contact with the building.
The forklift moved the trailer to its final position 50ft inside the building.
Crane Rental Corp finished the job without incident, and is expecting to repeat the job to take the trailer out when it is finished.
The forklift guides the trailer inside the facility The forklift guides the trailer inside the facility The cranes line up the trailer with the loading bay The cranes line up the trailer with the loading bay The forklift gives a helping push The forklift gives a helping push The truck cranes tandem-lift the trailer The truck cranes tandem-lift the trailer
