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Terex® AC 200 And AC 300 LIFT LOCK GATES ON Main RIVER
ZWEIBRÜCKEN, June 27th, 2012 – A team from Scholpp Kran- & Transport GmbH’s Heilbronn branch office recently lifted the lock gates at the Klingenberg and Freudenberg locks on the Main river on behalf of the Aschaffenburg Water and Shipping Authority for necessary inspection and replacement activities. The Scholpp team relied on two tried-and-true cranes: the Terex AC 200 and the Terex AC 300 all-terrain cranes.
The massive gates at the Klingenberg lock had dutifully performed their task every day since the 1930s, and continued to do so until April 11th, 2012: After 80 years of continuous use, the riveted lock gates were replaced with modern, welded gates as part of a renovation project that lasted weeks. In order to replace the gates, however, it was first necessary to drain the lock: Scuba divers placed temporary dams at the upstream and downstream ends of the lock chamber in order to seal it off from the Main. After this, the water was pumped out of the lock chamber and the team was able to then lift the 25-tonne lock gates. The Freudenberg lock was dewatered the same way, but the activities planned for it were a bit different: In addition to installing replacement gates, a structural inspection, as well as inspection measurements of the 300 meter-long and 14 meter-wide lock with a water depth of 11.5 meters was also scheduled.
Precise work under difficult conditions
A series of unique challenges related to lifting and installing the lock gates awaited the Scholpp team: narrow access roads, lack of maneuvering space at the site, load ratings of the bridges that had to be crossed, and the lifts themselves, which required skill and accuracy for both the crane operators and their machines. More specifically, when lifting out and installing the gates, they had to be positioned exactly as per a structural engineer’s specifications so that the support pressures transmitted to the lock walls would be reduced to a harmless level. And as if that were not enough of a challenge, the sensitive locking mechanisms also required the team’s personnel to exercise special caution at all times. “However, the fact that we were using our AC 200 and AC 300 Terex cranes meant that we were able to rely on tried-and-true, highly maneuverable machines that have proven to be absolutely reliable and precise throughout the years,” emphasizes Jürgen Bühl, head of the Scholpp branch office in Heilbronn. The setup process went exactly as should be expected from a team with such ample experience. It took only two hours for three Scholpp team members to set up the cranes for the projects at hand, with the corresponding configurations including a counterweight of 69 tonnes for the AC 200 and a counterweight of 76 tonnes for the AC 300.
Once set up, the team was able to perform the lifts safely and with the required degree of precision. Once the necessary load-securing devices were in place, the lock gates’ fasteners were removed and the loads were lifted and set down next to the gates within a working radius of 24 meters. In addition, the work platforms required to perform all the necessary work were also lifted into and out of the lock chambers without a problem. Even having to overcome projecting edges in the form of camera poles failed to have any impact on the smooth and accurate performance of each precision lift and on the team’s ability to finish each operation within the required timeframe. As a result, after the locks were filled back, the waterway was once again open to navigation on April 28th, 2012 – exactly as scheduled.
The Terex® AC 200-1
The Terex AC 200-1 is not only the most compact and maneuverable five-axle crane in the capacity class of over 120 tonnes on the market, but also requires the smallest working area in relation to its outrigger base and slewing radius. When equipped with its maximum main boom extension of 33 m, the all-terrain unit features a system length of 100 meters. An additional highlight: The Terex AC 200-1 is available with four different chassis and with an optional, additional sixth axle – the only crane in its category to offer these options.
About SCHOLPP Kran & Transport GmbH
The SCHOLPP Group is the industry’s leading service provider for worldwide industrial assembly and machine relocation projects, as well as for transportation assignments that revolve around heavy and sensitive goods. The company has steadily grown since its foundation in 1956, had sales of 114 million Euros in 2011, and today has around 1,200 employees at 20 locations worldwide.
SCHOLPP Kran & Transport GmbH’s range of services revolves around mobile cranes that cover the entire range of possible lifting capacities, machine relocation services, and heavy load transportation services, and the company, in its industry-leading position, provides regional crane and transportation services from its Stuttgart, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, Göppingen, and Mannheim locations.
For more information, please visit www.scholpp.de
About Terex
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Terex reports in five business segments: Aerial Work Platforms; Construction; Cranes; Material Handling & Port Solutions; and Materials Processing. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information can be found at www.terex.com
