M&S Transport were asked to consult and advise on the possibility of moving a 25-tonne power generator along with two exhaust attenuators from a site in Eagle Farm Queensland to Malaga in Western Australia.
The client detailed the circumstances of the original move from Perth to Eagle Farm some years earlier which saw the internal louvres of both attenuators severely damaged due to vibration and movement in transport, costing the client around $40,000 in repairs upon arrival.
To cover all contingencies, M&S Transport flew from Melbourne to Brisbane to inspect the site and determine the most efficient and effective transport solution. But it didn’t quite go to plan.
Upon arrival at the site, we found the 25-tonne generator wedged between two large warehouse buildings and learned that it had been in this position for so long, that a cyclone fence had been erected in front of it, a data cable had been strung over the top of it and the two attenuators were located behind it in very close proximity.
M&S Transport called in their specialist lifting partners and formulated a lifting plan that involved hoisting the generator and attenuators over the top of the main building and swinging the three items directly onto the back of a float vehicle and two drop deck semi-trailers.
Our OH&S Team arranged to have the site cleared of staff and we got to work lifting.
But the question of damage to the louvres during transport remained. The solution was an out-of-the-box choice.
After opening one of the attenuators and physically climbing inside to inspect the louvres, we found the louvres in a horizontal position – stacked on top of the other with space in between. Clearly, in this position, the vibration and impact of road transport would cause unavoidable damage. Regular inflatable dunnage was not suitable due to the specific fixed sizes of the attenuators and louvres.
The solution? We purchased 30 single air mattresses and a pump. The mattresses were placed in between the louvres and then inflated, acting like a cushion between them and securing them in place, reducing vibration and movement.
And finally, we placed the attenuators on their side so the louvres were in fact standing up vertically inside the unit for the 4,563 km trip.
The result was an incident-free transit across the width of Australia and zero damage to the generator and attenuators.
Damage averted; additional costs avoided. Job done.
