Terex AT Crane Lifts Large Objects at RR Yard
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September 5, 2012—Shortly after receiving delivery of its new 500-ton Terex AC 500-2 all-terrain crane, Solley Crane Service put it to work at the Cullman, Ala., railroad yard. The company mobilized the AC 500-2 crane and equipment in six truckloads to off-load new press parts for a local automotive parts manufacturer. “The biggest press part was too heavy and large to transport it long distances over the road,” says Ray Solley, president of the Decatur, Ala.-based company.
While the crane’s counterweight and boom sections were transported to the jobsite on lowboy trailers, the AC 500-2 was driven to the railroad facility. “With the largest press part weighing 140 tons, the crane required only 110 tons of its 195 tons of counterweight, so we had plenty of capacity left,” says Ronnie Solley, vice president. Putting his crane and heavy equipment experience to good use, Tony Grisham, Solley Crane’s field superintendent, and the Solley Crane crew were able to have the crane ready to lift on the day after the crane was loaded out for the jobsite.
Before acquiring the Terex AC 500-2, hoisting a 140-ton object meant mobilizing multiple cranes. “For a job that size, we would use two of our 250-ton cranes and do a tandem lift,” explains Ray Solley, president of Solley Crane Service. That load can now be lifted with a single crane. In addition to saving time and money from mobilizing fewer cranes and equipment, “any time you can make a lift with a single crane, it is relatively safer, as it involves less complexity,” adds Ronnie Solley, vice president of Solley Crane Service.
The six truckloads represented a reduction in the number of transport vehicles it takes to mobilize two conventional 250-ton cranes. Additionally, according to Ray Solley, it saved the company about a half day of rigging on both ends of the job, “which saved us money.”
Four days on the Job
Over a four-day period at the railroad yard, the AC 500-2 and Solley Crane’s six crew members performed six lifts to transfer all the automotive press pieces. The largest piece was the 140-ton base. Working at a 33-foot radius with 93.8 feet of boom, the AC 500-2 quickly lifted the 14-foot wide, 30-foot-long, and 15-foot high object from the rail car and moved it to the transporter, so the piece could travel the final 6 miles to its destination. “The press base was crated and had lifting eyes, so it was a straight forward rigging and lift job,” said Ray Solley.
Reducing the number of cranes at the congested railroad yard also improved lift efficiency. Just over 56 feet long, the Terex AC 500-2 boasts the shortest vehicle length of all the 600-ton capacity cranes. “Accessibility was an issue at this jobsite, and it was easier using the single crane,” added Ray Solley.
The AC 500-2 and Solley Crane’s crew performed efficiently and flawlessly in transferring the machinery from the railcar to the transporter. “Both operators commented that it is a very smooth operating crane,” said Ronnie Solley.
