Mammoet, a world leader in solutions for lifting, transportation, installation, and decommissioning of large and heavy structures, carried an 8 million-pound Peabody Energy dragline over 22 miles of New Mexico desert to the El Segundo Mine. It took only 12 days to transport the 3,500-ton dragline on a Mammoet specialized self-propelled transport vehicle.
The dragline, the size of a ship on dry land, is designed to 'walk' by using shoes that lift and advance the machine, at a speed of one-tenth of a mile per hour. However, using this method would have required generators, and road and power line construction support 24 hours a day for at least a month.
Mammoet crews reduced that travel time by two-thirds, despite factors like steep inclines, exceptional rainfall and width restrictions due to an archaeological site. A total of 150 axle lines of Self-Propelled Modular raansporters (SPMT), five trains wide by 30 long, were used to move the dragline to its destination.
"Transporting a machine of this size required precision and planning," said Brad Brown, Peabody Energy senior vice president of Southwest operations.
Source: ACT Magazine, February 2014 Issue
