The Deep South team was tasked to transport a 1,230,000-pound reactor (29’-10” diameter, 120’ tall) and a 314,000-pound regen head (37’-5” diameter, 75’ tall) from a manufacturing facility in Northeast Mississippi to a refinery in Louisiana. The team loaded the pieces on a barge from 24-axle-line, double-wide Scheuerle SPMTs, and then unloaded the barge at the roll-off site using the same SPMT configuration.

Once onsite, the large reactor was placed onto 22-axle-line Scheuerle “Split” SPMT-SL trailers to accommodate limited clearances on the heavy haul route. A 2,500-ton VersaCrane™ TC-36000/S1 in configuration 7 and a 750-ton VersaCrane™ CC-9600 in configuration 6 were then used for the lift.

The regen head was transported using a 12-axle-line Scheuerle SPMT and lifted with the same equipment. The total regen head assembly was 875,000 pounds. For the lift, Deep South designed and built a custom octagon bar to fit the vertical pull requirements of the regen’s eight lifting lugs. Further, as the center of gravity for the reactor was offset, the team designed an adaptable system of links that could be easily adjusted a few shifts before the lift.

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About Deep South: Deep South Crane & Rigging is a leading provider of heavy lift and transportation services, serving a diverse range of industries. With a focus on safety, innovation, and technical expertise, Deep South delivers reliable solutions for complex projects while maintaining the highest standards of workforce protection. The company strives to equip its customers with the best tools to complete the task at hand and is home to the VersaCrane fleet.

The firm offers a complete range of services, from bare crane rental to turnkey heavy lift and transport solutions, serving clients across North and South America. It operates out of seven locations, including Baton Rouge, LA; Lake Charles, LA; New Orleans, LA; DeQuincy, LA; Beaumont, TX; Houston, TX; and Catlettsburg, KY. Sister company DS Americas operates out of Bogotá, Colombia.

Recent recognition includes: 2024 Industry Business Roundtable (IBR) Safety Excellence Award in Crane and Rigging, and 2023 IBR Mentor Award; 2023 and 2024 Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance (GBRIA) Safety Excellence Award; 2023, 2024, and 2025 Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) Crane & Rigging Group Safety Award; 13 consecutive years included in Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation (LWCC) Safest 70; 2023 and 2025 Texas Mutual Platinum Safety Partner Award; Marathon's 2024 Exceptional Partner Award; and the 2025 Specialized Carriers & Riggers Foundation (SC&RF) Workforce Ambassador Award