Transformer and very Heavy Machinery rigging - Jack and Slide System

Are you planning a plant expansion that will include the installation of heavy machinery? Need to move very heavy machinery under a low ceiling or even very dangerous powerlines?

There are lots of reasons you might need to move large equipment into a building or within it. Due to space restrictions or limited access, using cranes isn’t always feasible.

Safe moves where cranes are not practical sometimes call for jack and slide hydraulic skidding systems. These systems are designed to load, offload and trans-load valuable and sensitive equipment to engineered specifications.

Jacking systems, as you probably know, are used to raise heavy objects — think bridges and construction modules. When coupled with “skidding” systems, the “jack and slide” process lifts heavy loads, then moves them horizontally on a guided track using a controlled friction service. High friction values virtually eliminate the risk of uncontrolled movement or runaway.

Skid “shoes” (pushed by hydraulic cylinders) slide the heavy loads without the external forces a crane would require. The track has a “ratchet” design, so the cylinders are retracted with each movement and automatically reset in the next position, ready for the next push. The hydraulic pump used is what determines the speed.

How do jack-and-slide systems simplify things?

For one, manoeuvring heavy transformers inside power plants is an engineering and logistical puzzle that used to call for multiple workers operating different machines in tandem. A hydraulic skidding system will provide the same team with the ability to manoeuvre and transport transformers, heat exchangers and other power equipment in tight spaces without damaging anything.

Safety is also a factor. Because skidding system tracks are “low profile,” the loads are never freely suspended and don’t require winches or external force. A single operator remotely controls the skidding movement, so there is no need for workers to be standing near the load while it’s being transported.