WISCONSIN, MADISON – Reynolds Transfer and Storage recently completed the removal and replacement of a power transformer at a utility company in the city of Madison, Wisconsin recently.
The multifaceted project involved removal of the existing 237,000 lb. (107.5 tonne) transformer, which was installed by Reynolds in 1984, and installation of a 170,000 lb. (77 tonne) replacement, which was redundant but in working order at another site, reports Utility Products.
Integral to safe completion was a 300-ton capacity heavy track hydraulic skidding system and a 10 ft. x 10 ft., 500-ton capacity turntable, both chosen for their lightweight and suitability to the substation environment. A telehandler was used for moving equipment around the site.
Thomas Reynolds, president at Reynolds Transfer and Storage, said, “The move occurred within a substation so that the existing pad could be removed and replaced with a design that is consistent with current standards. We then moved it to a remote site by sliding over 1,000 feet. The 20 foot and 10 foot Hydra-Slide track lengths were leap-frogged ahead to provide for continuous movement with less total track length.”
The majority (700 feet) of that ground was covered in a single day with three changes of direction and a 90-degree turn to get through an opening with only one foot of clearance.
“When the new pad was ready, we went to Fond Du Lac, loaded the replacement unit onto our 85-ton capacity trailer and hauled it to Madison. We needed to take the trailer apart just to get into the substation for unloading. The substation is very congested and energized so we unloaded and slid from the trailer onto the new pad. We also needed to rotate the new unit 90 degrees and then went over the new four foot deep pit and onto the pad for final placement,” Reynolds explained
Source: Utility Products