August 20 - Bilten, Switzerland based Feldmann Pneukran und Transporte AG has transported a 160-tonne hydraulic gearbox for a tunnel boring machine (TBM) using 20-axle lines of Goldhofer THP/ET heavy-duty modular trailers.
The TBM is currently working on Switzerland's A16 Trans-Jura motorway, and the gearbox was required to avoid any downtime delays during the infrastructure project.
The gearbox measured 4.3 m high by 6.3 m wide and had to be transported the length of the Swiss Canton Jura, along narrow roads and across several motorway bridges. The trailer, when loaded, measured 45.5 m long and weighed approximately 260 tonnes.
The huge unit was moved from Courtedoux in Canton Jura to Balsthal in Canton Solothurn, a distance of approximately 68 km.
Right at the start of the journey, two motorway bridges had to be crossed on the A16 from Porrenturuy to Delémont. Because of the weight of the load the Swiss authorities stipulated 20 axles were required for the section of the journey. Through Goldhofer's modular system four extra axles were added to the 16-axle transporter.
"For the motorway sections, we were able to use the same steering plan with the additional axles; so there was no need to lift the load for the modification," Marcel Guilbert, head of transport operations and project manager at Feldmann Pneukran und Transporte AG explains. When necessary, the load was raised by up to 300 mm using the hydraulic swing axle suspension.
A key factor contributing to the project's success was Goldhofer's easyLOAD system. The software made it possible to distribute the load with such precision that the 160 tonnes could be transported by road with absolute safety and in compliance with legal requirements.
According to Goldhofer, the reliability and flexibility of the heavy haulage system allowed it to gain a permit to journey during daytime hours through the Swiss Canton, considerably reducing the total project time and cost.
