Perkins STC was hired to haul seven (7) engines weighing 637,000 lbs each, 61 miles from a port in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the summer of 2018. The job took over a year and a half to plan due to the extreme dimensions and weight and three and a half weeks to complete. Multiple route surveys, feasibility studies, permitting authorities, third party support teams, and government entities were involved in the success of this move.
The seven (7) engines weighed 637,000 lbs each and were brought in by ship to the Port of L’Anse, MI in the Upper Peninsula. Vic’s Crane and Rigging, our customer, was hired by Martin Bencher USA to assist in transport to the laydown site, while Perkins utilized their 400-ton dual lane loading suspension beam 48-axle “Road Train” trailer to haul them 61 miles to their final destination in Eagle Mills, MI. The overall dimensions were L 391’ x W 22’ x H 19’, with a gross vehicle weight of 1,300,000 lbs, which required night travel to minimize impact to the general public.
Although Perkins is accustomed to super loads, it’s rare to ever see the same project twice, so the challenge to streamline the loading, travel, unloading, and remobilization processes were large factors to this projects success. The trailer was configured to accommodate a top-down load maneuver allowing a crane to place the cargo between the suspension beams from above and secure onto customized load support beams below. This combination allowed Perkins to optimize loaded travel height and reduce the overall schedule by eliminating the need to disassemble and reassemble the trailer at both sites. In order to further minimize costs and time, the trailer, which was disassembled after a test fit and trial run in Minnesota was put onto thirteen (13) flatbeds both oversize and legal flatbeds for mobilization to L’Anse, MI. Fortunately for the customer and us, the empty trailer was approved to travel back to the load site fully assembled at night once unloaded to reduce the need to disassemble back onto flatbeds and start over.
The route was pretty straight forward, as there weren’t many options to choose from. It was a straight shot on one state and one county highway to travel from L’anse, MI to Eagle Mills, MI for a total of 61 miles. Night moves always add a significant amount of additional support due to the fact that we were 391’ long, 22’ wide, and 19’ high. We traveled from 10pm to 4am every night for three to four days to maintain a streamlined schedule of loading, traveling in one day and unloading and traveling back the next. It was definitely not easy to maintain this schedule for an extended period of time, but we had a rotation of drivers and crew, which allowed us to meet the demands of the schedule without risking safety.
The route included curves, bridges, hills, turns, one roundabout, and more wires and intersections than we could count. Along with the Perkins teams, there were several other crews who made this job successful considering all those factors. The Michigan State Patrol was escorting us each night with a minimum of two officers to help re-route traffic or block off intersections until we passed. Our customer, Vic’s Crane & Rigging, out of Rosemount, MN, provided all the crane and rigging support for the entire project along with transportation from the port to the laydown site. The entourage of bucket truck and utility companies was impressive for this job, as there were cable, electric, and other wires that had to be lifted along the route, as well as traffic lights and signs that needed to be moved for the safety of the cargo. The permitting authority approving our trailer, our routes, and our job was no small feat either. Perkins submitted feasibility studies for our customer, which ended up being used to help prove that we were capable of these types of coordinated moves. Turn studies were submitted, along with engineered drawings illustrating how to maneuver the roundabout, which is always a concern along any route.
The job itself took about 250 man days with ten (10) Perkins team members working for three and a half weeks straight with upwards of an additional 100 days spent running route surveys, meeting with roadway officials and buttoning up any surprises that could interfere with the success of the project. The whole project was a year and a half in the making with four months focused on getting the approvals, third party support, and trained professionals we needed.
Special thanks to Vic’s Crane and Rigging, Martin Bencher USA, and Wartsila and ALL involved to make this project successful.
Perkins STC
1800 Riverview Drive
Northfield, MN 55057
www.PerkinsSTC.com