Digging & Rigging buys axle lines

North American crane and rigging company Digging & Rigging Inc. has purchased 13 new axle lines from specialized transport equipment manufacturer Faymonville. The axle lines comprised G-SL ModulMax and PowerMax models, which were put to work as soon as Digging & Rigging received them.

One of the first jobs for the new equipment was to transport a power generator weighing 210,000 pounds (95 tonnes). The generator measured: 24 feet, 1 inch-long x 12 feet, 3 inches-wide x 15 feet, 8 inches-high (7.3 x 3.7 x 4.8 metres). To transport it Digging & Rigging used a nine-axle combination with an extra low flatbed. The transformer had already been shipped from Wisconsin to Virginia by rail. Digging & Rigging then used its 250 metric ton capacity Liebherr LTM 1250-6.1 wheeled mobile telescopic crane to move the transformer from the rail car onto its new ModulMax. It was then moved 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the substation using a four-axle Kenworth tractor to pull the trailer. In total, the combination had a gross weight of 360,000 pounds (163 metric tons) and an overall length of 115 feet (35 meters). “The ModulMax made easy work of some tight turns at the load site and at the substation,” commented Jim Gregory, president of Digging & Rigging. “The low deck height made it easy to clear several utility lines and stop lights along the route.”

Another job in which Digging & Rigging used its new equipment was to move a dryer measuring 50 feet long and 12 feet wide (15 x 3.7 meters), and weighing 175,000 pounds (79 metric tons). The dryer was moved using ten G-SL ModulMax axle lines including a PowerMax APMC to run the combination as a self-propelled unit. “The trailer made easy work negotiating the dryer through the tight plant and into position for our Liebherr LTM 1500-8.1 crane to offload and set in place,” said Gregory.

According to Faymonville, it is the only European manufacturer in the North American market that uses DOT-approved electrical and pneumatic components.