Safe Transportation Of Crawler Cranes
Crawler cranes are indispensable in large-scale projects due to their powerful lifting capacity and site adaptability. However, their slow movement speed and inability to drive directly on the road make their transfer transportation a highly specialized and challenging task, often framed by the key question: “How do they transport cranes?” The answer goes far beyond simply loading and pulling away. Safe transportation requires equipment personnel to have superb skills and strictly follow a complete set of critical processes: disassembly, secure loading, specialized transportation, careful unloading, and precise reassembly.
Preliminary Preparation And Site Survey
Equipment status confirmation: Before transportation, the crawler crane must be driven into the designated flat area. Professional personnel will conduct a comprehensive safety inspection of the equipment, focusing on confirming that the structural parts are not damaged, the hydraulic system is leak-free, and the walking mechanism is normal, ensuring that the equipment itself is in a good and movable state.
Transportation route planning: Detailed survey of the optimal transportation route from the current site to the destination. Core requirements:
Smooth and feasible: Ensure that the road width and turning radius meet the requirements of the vehicle, and there are no irremovable obstacles.
Shortest distance: If feasible, give priority to the shortest route to reduce transportation risks and time.
Road condition assessment: Pay special attention to potential risk points such as bridge weight limit, culvert/overhead line height limit, steep slope, sharp bend, etc. If necessary, apply for special permits or arrange temporary road modification/clearance.
Destination site acceptance: Carefully check the final parking or assembly position of the crane. The site must be solid and flat (compacted to the standard), with sufficient area to accommodate the equipment and assembly operation space, and clear all obstacles (such as gravel, potholes, pipelines, etc.).
How Do They Transport Cranes? — Scientific Disassembly
Disassembly Principle
It is usually not feasible to transport crawler cranes as a whole machine. They must be reasonably disassembled into multiple parts according to their model, size, weight, and carrying capacity of the transport vehicle. Remember: the disassembly sequence is the reverse process of the subsequent installation sequence. Strictly marking all connection points and removed parts is the key to avoiding confusion.
Standard Disassembly Steps
Remove the hook and wire rope: Safely lower the hook to the ground and remove the connecting pin or rigging.
Remove the boom section by section: Use an on-site auxiliary crane (such as a truck crane) to remove the boom sections one by one in the order specified in the manufacturer’s manual (usually starting from the outermost section). Properly secure the removed boom sections to prevent deformation or rolling.
Remove the counterweight: Use a special lifting belt (make sure the rated load is sufficient) and an auxiliary crane to carefully remove all counterweights. The counterweight must be placed firmly and securely on the transport vehicle to prevent displacement.
Remove other optional components: If necessary, it may be necessary to remove the cab, part of the counterweight bracket, superlift device, etc., to further reduce the transportation height and weight. (Note: The main vehicle body and crawler walking mechanism are usually transported as a whole or a few large pieces.)
Safe Loading
Preparation Of Loading Platform
A special steel ramp is set up between the rear of the transport vehicle (usually a heavy-duty low-bed semi-trailer) and the ground. Ensure that the ramp is strong enough, the overlap is stable, the slope is reasonable, and the surface is clean and oil-free.
Operation Of The Main Engine On The Vehicle
An experienced operator drives the crane main engine (body + crawler) and slowly and straightly reverses from the ramp to the transport vehicle platform.
Key Monitoring Points
Center driving: Always observe the distance between the left and right crawlers and the edge of the platform to ensure that the distance on both sides is equal and the crawlers are centered without any deviation.
Balance Throughout The Whole Process
The operator needs to control the throttle and steering extremely carefully to keep the equipment absolutely level. Any slight tilt may cause a sharp increase in the risk of rollover due to changes in the center of gravity. If necessary, a ground commander should observe and prompt in real time.
Positioning and fixing of the main engine
The main engine stops after driving to the designated position of the transport platform (usually in the center and front).
Immediately insert a solid wedge-shaped wooden block (or a special stop block) under the front and rear ends of the crawler to prevent the equipment from sliding forward and backward on the platform.
Use a high-strength alloy chain with a ratchet chain tightener to tie the special tie-down points on the crane chassis to the anchor points on the transport vehicle platform at multiple points, directly, and tensioned. The tie-down force must meet the safety regulations (usually more than 1.5 times the weight of the component) and ensure that the chain is not twisted or broken.
Inspection and Confirmation
Component Loading and Fixing
Use an auxiliary crane to smoothly lift the disassembled boom segments, counterweights, and other components to the designated placement area on the transport vehicle.
Component Placement:
Ensure that the components are placed smoothly and the center of gravity is as low as possible. Use wooden blocks or special pads of sufficient thickness and strength between the components and the transport platform, and between the components to fill the gaps, increase friction, and prevent sliding and collision.
Component Fixation
High-strength chains, straps (for irregular parts), and chain tighteners/binding devices are also used to fix each component independently and firmly on the transport platform. Special attention should be paid to counterweights to prevent tipping.
Monitoring Of The Transport Process
Final Inspection Before Transportation
Before departure, the transport manager, equipment manager, and safety officer jointly conduct final safety confirmation, check all bindings, pads, vehicle conditions (tires, lights, etc.), route documents (licenses), on-board tools, and emergency equipment.
Monitoring On The Way
During transportation, the driver must strictly control the speed (especially on curves and ramps) to avoid sudden braking and turning. Regularly enter safe areas (such as service areas) to stop and check, focusing on whether the binding is loose, whether the components are displaced, and the temperature of the vehicle tires. Equipped with professional escort vehicles (lead vehicles, road rollers) to warn and guide traffic, especially on complex roads.
Safe Unloading and On-Site Reorganization
Site Preparation
After arriving at the destination, confirm again that the unloading area meets the preliminary acceptance standards (flat and barrier-free).
Host Unloading
Set up the unloading ramp.
Remove the host lashing and wedges (keep the last key lashing point until the start of movement).
The operator drives the host slowly, straight, and forward down the transport platform. The ground commander must command from the side to ensure that the crawlers on both sides pass the ramp synchronously and evenly, and monitor the balance at all times.
Component Unloading
Use the on-site auxiliary crane to safely lift the components off the transport vehicle in the reverse order of the planned assembly sequence (that is, the last to be removed is the first to be installed), and place them in the designated location of the assembly area in a classified and orderly manner.
Reassembly
A professional team will reassemble the crane in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s manual and markings. After assembly, a comprehensive functional test and safety inspection are required, and it can only be put into use after passing the inspection.
Emergency Response Mechanism
Full-time alert: All participants must remain highly vigilant.
Immediate reporting: During transportation or loading and unloading, if anyone finds any potential danger or emergency, such as loose binding, component displacement, vehicle abnormality, equipment tilt, sudden site conditions, etc., they must immediately give a loud warning and stop the operation.
On-site response: The first person to discover it promptly reports to the on-site person in charge (safety officer, commander). The person in charge immediately assesses the risk and initiates the corresponding level of emergency plan (such as reinforcing binding, adjusting equipment posture, evacuating personnel, contacting external rescue, etc.), giving priority to ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment.
Summary:
The answer to “how do they transport cranes” safely lies in every link: from detailed route surveys and precise disassembly markings, to rigorous load balance control, reliable en route fixation and monitoring, and finally safe unloading and reassembly. None of these steps in transporting cranes can tolerate any carelessness.
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