Heavy haulers: SPMT makes moves

Versatile and powerful, the use of SPMT is a real advantage for a wide range of projects.

Friderici Spécial transports two tunnel boring machine components with Scheuerle SPMT and a PowerHoss. (Photo: TII Group)

SPMT manufacturer Scheuerle, owned by heavy duty and special vehicle manufacturer TII Group, says the expansion of the renewable energy industry around the world is creating demand. It says this is particularly evident in the wind power sector, especially in North America, where tax advantages and government procurement goals have accelerated demand.

The general construction industry is also seeing the benefits of SPMT. Swiss specialist for heavy haulage, Friderici Spécial, acquired SPMT modules from TII Scheuerle for the first time earlier this year.

Four SPMT PowerHoss vehicles will serve as replacement chassis´ for two gantry cranes which play an important role in the renewal of the runway at Geneva Airport.

The modular transporters will also be used for transport assignments in the energy and construction sectors and have already transported two transformers weighing 100 and 147 tonnes, respectively, to Martigny in Valais as well as aiding in the dismantling of a tunnel boring machine in the Sarneraatal flood discharge tunnel in Obwalden, Switzerland.

“To be honest, I had no idea how a SPMT PowerHoss felt when driving. However, now I can say: It’s unbelievable how well the modular transporter can be controlled. It can be steered precisely and easily adapted to suit the load as well as the incline of the road,” says Stéphane Friderici, managing director at Friderici Spécial.

Bespoke haulage

SPMT is often used for bespoke and complicated haulage projects.

Special and heavy haulage missions are daily business for leading crane and transport specialist Al Faris Group, which moved a 30 metre vessel on 18 axle lines of Cometto SPMT.

Al Faris used Cometto SPMT axles lines to transport a 30 metre vessel. (Photo: Cometto)

The Cometto SPMT allows specific combinations according to the project. “We recently undertook the transportation of an absorber vessel which weighs 60 tonnes. The path led from the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi to the Mubarraz island by road and marine transportation,” says Revon Pereira, marketing executive at Al Faris.

Efficiency, speed and safety are key factors for a successful handling of such projects for Al Faris, he explains. Due to the size of the item – 30 metres long and 3 metres wide – the team put together the configuration of 18 axle lines.

The company has invested heavily in SPMT and has a total fleet of 64 axle lines of MSPE from Cometto with an axle load of 43.5 tonnes, four 331 kW power pack units and numerous accessories.

A 30 metre vessel was loaded for marine transport to Mubarraz island in the UAE using SPMT. (Photo: Cometto)

Complex turns

Engineered Rigging (ER) transported a 27 metre long, 120 tonne gas scrubber at the ENAP Aconcagua Refinery in Chile using Goldhofer SPMT, provided by ER’s South American partner Tecnogruas.

Engineered Rigging and Tecnogruas used Goldhofer SPMT to carry a scrubber unit at a Chilean plant. (Photo: Engineered Rigging)

DSV Global Transport and Logistics (DSV) needed to transport the scrubber to the crude oil refinery, which processes fuels for the Valparaíso region of Chile.

Although DSV had a plan for delivering the scrubber, it required assistance determining the best method to offload the enormous device from its transport vehicle and place it in storage.

The ER team hoisted the scrubber from the storage stands and lowered it onto two Goldhofer PST/SL-E six-axle SPMT modules, each powered by individual power units, and transported it 1 kilometre inside the refinery.

This distance included a delicate 90 degree turn, which required each SPMT and associated power pack unit to operate independently of each other. This type of turn is only possible with SPMT.

ER technicians then used SBL500 hydraulic gantries to offload the scrubber from the SPMT.