Power plant ductwork transport by ALL Crane Rental involved cranes overcoming obstacles like underpasses. Edwards Moving and Rigging coordinated with utilities to move massive duct sections 50 miles inland, requiring meticulous planning and logistics. The operation spanned two weeks, delivering five total sections.
ALL Crane photo
ALL Crane Rental of Florida assisted with an elaborate operation to deliver a massive section of duct that stood 30 ft. high.
Power plants need ductwork, just like our houses.
With a major exception: some of these ducts are so large, you can not only walk through them, you can drive a truck through them. When these ducts need replacing, as you might imagine, there are special challenges to delivering them from their point of origin to the power plant.
Over two recent days, ALL Crane Rental of Florida, a member of the ALL Family of Companies, assisted with an elaborate operation to deliver a massive section of duct that stood 30 ft. high. The route went from Port Manatee on Florida's western coast to the power plant 50 mi. inland. Cranes from ALL were called upon when the flatbed carrying the duct section couldn't clear an overpass bridge for Moccasin Wallow Road along Interstate 75.
Instead, the flatbed had to bypass the bridge, which involved driving over temporary bridges laid across the median. That's where ALL came in. The company specified three cranes to assist with the operation. The primary work crane was a Liebherr LTM 1070-4.2, an 80 ton all-terrain crane. A 50 ton Liebherr LTM 1060-3.1 also helped out, along with a 60-ton Link-Belt HTC-8660 II truck crane.
Edwards Moving and Rigging, which specializes in transporting these kinds of large loads, was ALL's customer on the job. (Jim Hobbs, project manager with Edwards, noted that he believes the company still holds the record for transporting the heaviest load in Florida's history, topping out at 1.2 million lbs.)
The Liebherr LTM 1070-4.2 was rigged by Edwards' crew to individual segments of a steel temporary bridge. The segments, three in total, measured 30 to 40 ft. long, with the heaviest weighing 15,000 lbs.
The crane set up on the shoulder of I-75.
"First, we placed the crane mats that the temporary bridge would rest on to protect the ground, pavement and median below," said Dennis Davis, sales representative of ALL Crane Rental of Florida.
ALL's operator skillfully placed each section to create a seamless platform over which the flatbed carrying the three-story duct could cross.
For Edwards, the three cranes from ALL were just some of the vehicles and equipment needed to successfully pull off the operation.
"We had 36 bucket trucks as part of our convoy," said Edwards' Hobbs. "Along with representatives from various utilities."
This is because, in portions of the route, overhead traffic lights had to be lifted out of the way of the duct sections, along with some non-electrical utility lines.
The methodical approach meant it took two days to travel the 50 mi. from port to the plant. The 30-ft.-high duct section represented the largest piece, but five total sections were delivered by Edwards over a two-week period. The massive undertaking required permits and cooperation from multiple counties, along with occasional highway patrol escorts and traffic control.
"This operation took a lot of planning and logistics," said Davis. "We were pleased to play a role in helping Edwards Moving and Rigging with another successful delivery."
For more information, visit www.allcrane.com.
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