Plant Equipment and Hire June 2019 | Page 29

ON THE GROUND 3 000-tonne concrete units. The sheer weight and size of the units made normal lifting by large mobile cranes impractical but lent itself to the use of a jack-and-slide method to get the loads from the casting area to the location where they were to be installed. “This was only one element of the solution, however, as gantry systems and strand jacking could then be considered for the lifting requirements of these structures during installation,” he says. “A key benefit of alternative systems like jack-and-slide or strand jacking is their modularity. This means their capacity can be cumulatively increased to match the demands of the items to be moved or lifted.” Yaman explains that alternative handling solutions could include the use of a climbing jack, a jack and slide system, strand jacking, a gantry system or a self-propelled modular trailer or a combination of all of these. Climbing jacks are an extremely cost-effective manner of lifting heavy loads to the required height up to a maximum of 1.5m. This option can be scaled to allow for www.plantonline.co.za large and heavy equipment and componentry and are often used in maintenance applications. A jack and slide option is formed by using both a jacking and sliding system and combining these two methodologies allow for handling heavy equipment in a cost- effective manner. Strand jacking forms part of the Johnson Crane Hire’s arsenal of handling and lifting solutions, which is a lifting methodology that uses a hydraulic progressive lifting system and can be scaled to provide a lifting solution for extremely heavy equipment. And, while limited in terms of capacity and lifting height, gantry systems offer excellent versatility as the span can be configured for individual applications. These systems can be rail mounted for even greater versatility with the rails lengths being determined to suit the requirement. Gantry systems can accommodate varying ground levels from the one gantry upright to the other. But, Yaman insists that it is not just the access to the equipment and the aforementioned methodologies that provide solutions, but rather an understanding of how to effectively combine these in a manner to deliver a cost-effective handling solution which is both reliable and safe, that is important for the success of a project. This is where the engineering skills come into play; it is not just any company that is able to undertake these sorts of projects. Having access to the level of engineering skills upfront in a project is critical as this allows all options to be fully exploited. “With our full team of highly skilled and specialised personnel including our in-house engineering team as well as trained competent operators, we have strengthened our capacity to systematically conduct these upfront engineering studies – to safely and cost effectively move our customers’ loads from factory to foundation,” concludes Yaman. JUNE 2019 27