Super-Sized Truss No Problem for High Capacity Crane
A residential backyard, a nearby interstate, and a limited work window all combined to make a bridge truss replacement project a powerful demonstration of lifting strength and agility.
The contractor was tasked with replacing the double-rail bridge trusses along a railroad line that crosses the Tug Fork River at Hatfield Bottom near Matewan, WV (best known as the origination point of the Hatfield & McCoy feud). Each bridge truss section weighed 800,000 pounds.
Beyond the heavy lift tasks, the site layout for crane setup was in a civilian’s backyard, near a local interstate. Further, the client required a crane with redundant drive engines in case of engine or hydraulic pump failure, as well as the ability to walk with the load due to the site layout along the river.
In response, Deep South's team looked to the 1,760-ton Terex-Demag CC-8800-1 crawler crane with its 375’ boom operating in an SSL/LSL Configuration and Tele-Superlift mode. Further, Deep South also engineered and fabricated custom lifting beams suitable for removing the existing truss bridges and lifting the new bridge spans into place.
Using a combination of high capacity and maneuverability, crews used the Terex-Demag CC-8800-1 crawler crane with 1,583 kips of Tele-Superlift counterweight with a 98.4’ superlift radius, which facilitated an easier float and minimized down time for counterweight adjustment. Steel Track Mats, designed and fabricated by Deep South, mitigated ground bearing pressures and enabled crews to walk with the load for each lift.
The crew completed seven lifts in 36 hours for each of two outages.
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Equipment Used
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By the Numbers
- Replace double-rail bridge trusses weighing 800,000 pounds
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