Bohnet transports 265 tonne rotary kiln

Specialist heavy haulage company Bohnet, based in Kirchdorf, Germany, used Goldhofer axle lines to transport a rotary kiln ring from Ostrava in the Czech Republic to the Schwenk cement works in Allmendigen, Germany.

The transport project was carried out for ThyssenKrupp Resource Technologies. Bohnet used 16 Goldhofer THP/UT heavy-duty axle lines to transport the kiln ring. The kiln ring had a diameter of 8 metres and weighed 265 tonnes.

It took six months to plan the journey and four weeks to transport the steel ring, a company spokesperson said. Challenges during the project, included heavy rain, which caused the River Elbe to flood. As a result, an alternative route had to be taken and checks, such as load-bearing capacity of the roads, had to be carried out before the transport could continue.

Once these checks were carried out, the rotary kiln ring was loaded onto a barge in Melnik in the Czech Republic and transported to Duisburg in Germany. On arrival the cargo was loaded onto a River Neckar barge and taken to Stuttgart, where a mobile crane lifted the kiln ring onto the Goldhofer THP/UT axle lines, a company spokesperson explained.

Once loaded onto the axle lines the cargo could continue its journey to the Schwenk cement works in Allmendigen. Before the cargo even left Stuttgart, issues such as cars blocking the main roads had to be overcome. Further challenges occurred as the transport travelled along the narrow roads of the Swabian Alps. To overcome the narrow bends in the road, the 16 axles were replaced by 12 for increased manoeuvrability, a spokesperson said.

The journey over the Swabian Alp to Allmendingen took three nights. In total, 290 ‘No Parking’ signs were put up, three sets of traffic lights removed, overheated cylinder parts replaced, and curb protection plates and temporary road plates were installed.

On arrival in Allmendingen, a mobile crane lifted the kiln off the THP/UT axle lines and it was transferred to a low loader. From here it was installed in the cement works.

Peter Bohnet, Bohnet general manager, said, “The outstanding quality and proverbial standard of service from Goldhofer make all the difference. We are very happy with our business relationship with Goldhofer.”