Heavy Transformer Move

McLaren Engineering Group worked with Rountree Transport & Rigging on a specialized review of their Hydra-Slide Ltd system. The system was used to move a heavy transformer (144,440 lb) into position at a substation for a 70 MW solar farm.

The transformer’s final location, an elevated concrete foundation located in a 27-foot x 40-foot concrete oil containment pit, made it difficult for crane positioning.  Additionally, the oil containment pit bottom did not have the capacity to support the crane outriggers, and other electrical equipment in the substation limited crane access.

The McLaren Difference: Applied Ingenuity

McLaren’s Florida team performed a structural analysis on the custom Hydra-Slide Ltd. System and determined it would be feasible for the system to span 20 feet over the oil containment pit and act as temporary steel support rails to slide the heavy load into place.

Hydraulic pistons clamped to the top of the two lubricated support rails enabled Rountree Transport & Rigging to safely move the heavy transformer into its final position on the elevated concrete foundation.