Engineered Rigging Adds 2,200-USt Jack-Up System

March 1, 2022 - Engineered Rigging is now accepting rental reservations for its new Enerpac JS500 jack-up system. 

The 2,200-USt capacity heavy lifting technology is expected to be in high demand as states and municipalities launch new bridge projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

When Engineered Rigging takes delivery of the JS500 in May, the heavy lifting company will be the first in the U.S. to have this model available for rental with technical support.

The JS500 can facilitate many civil construction applications, including bridge building and demolition, subway construction and renovation, and port construction.

The timing of the JS500 delivery correlates with the U.S. federal government’s projected $27 billion investment in bridge improvements.

“By expanding Engineered Rigging’s rental fleet with the JS500 jack-up system, we are well positioned to meet the surge in demand for accelerated bridge construction, as well as expedite other infrastructure projects that require the lifting of extremely heavy materials and equipment,” said Eddy Kitchen, co-founder and principal at Engineered Rigging.

The JS500 complements Engineered Rigging’s fleet of accelerated bridge construction equipment, which includes the cantilever segmental bridge lift system, rapid rail bridge replacement system, power slide systems, synchronous hydraulic jacking and load leveling systems, and high-capacity strand jack systems for falsework removal and bridge demolition.

Synchronous Lift and Mechanical Hold

Enerpac’s JS series of jack-up systems leverage a multi-point, synchronous heavy lifting design. Key benefits of the JS500 are its synchronous lift capabilities and mechanical hold features.

The typical setup includes four 550-USt capacity jack-up units, one under each corner of the load. That configuration can be expanded with more units if needed.

To lift heavy loads, such as preconstructed bridge decks and overpasses, crews follow the lift plan to arrange the JS500 bases under the load. The JS500’s self-contained hydraulics simultaneously raise the load, and once the load is at height, the operator inserts barrels into each JS500 base and sets the load on the inserted barrel. The hydraulics reset and repeat the process forming “lifting towers” which incrementally lift the load and mechanically lock it into place at the desired height. The JS500 achieves a lifting speed of approximately six barrels or 14 feet per hour. The jack-up system’s modular design offers flexibility, simple mobilization to site, and expedited setup and teardown which are key to accelerating project completion.

A Safe Way to Expedite Project Completion

To optimize control and safety, a remote operator uses a hand-held computer to direct the lifting and lowering functionality of the jack-up system. Each unit’s lifting and lowering operations occur simultaneously, and the computer control unit’s synchronous technology maintains the load balance.

According to Kitchen, Additional JS500 features include:

•              Automatic and manual lifting settings,

•              Synchronization of up to eight networked lift points,

•              Center of gravity calculation,

•              Overload and stroke alarm,

•              Emergency stop switch at jack-up units and controls,

•              Automated load balancing, and

•              Self-contained hydraulics in each jack-up unit, enabling an uncluttered (and safer) work area.

Engineered Rigging is an authorized dealer and service provider of Enerpac Heavy Lifting Technology.