November 10 - Martin Bencher USA has used an LP400 low profile skidding system from Hydra-Slide to help install 24 oversize loads at a power plant in Texas, USA.
After being shipped to the USA from Italy, the 12 engines - weighing 325 tonnes each - and 12 generators, each weighing 80 tonnes, were transported by road from Port Isabel in Texas to the facility using two Goldhofer trailers.
Since the engines were 6 m high, transport had to take place at night accompanied by a police escort.
At the facility, Martin Bencher was required to transport the units through two restricted doors before final installation at the Texan facility - which is where the Hydra-Slide skidding system came into use.
David Branco, US marketing manager at Martin Bencher, explained: "An indoor gantry crane and conventional slide system would have been the alternative method in this case, which our riggers are familiar with, but the method requires a much thicker beam and a large crew.
"The LP400, by contrast, is lightweight and easy to assemble. Once we had two, then three, then four engines in the halls, space became restricted and the smaller track system made progression of the project that much smoother."
The LP400 has a total height of less than 51 mm, which reduces jacking time and is ideal for power plant environments where space is restricted, according to Canadian manufacturer Hydra-Slide.
