Compressor and Cask Transport

Compressor and Cask
Transport

Case Highlights
Buckingham Heavy Transport completed transport of a compressor and inner bundle cask from the manufacturing facility to a barge on the Allegheny River, executing a complex, multi-stage heavy haul operation that required specialized equipment, extensive route planning, and coordinated transloads at both the origin and destination.

The project involved transporting a 291,100-lb inner bundle container and a 475,000-lb compressor, each requiring its own handling strategy while sharing the same challenging route conditions. The transport plan was influenced by permitting constraints, including approvals from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which dictated axle configurations and route parameters for a large section of the 39-mile haul.

The first portion of the transport entailed extracting the components from a confined industrial space before transloading them to over-the-road trailers. Buckingham used toe jacks to lift the 291,100-lb cask, then positioned a 6-line Goldhofer SPMT underneath it. After exiting the plant, they transloaded the cask via a four-leg gantry system onto 8 lines of dual-lane Goldhofer trailer and delivered it to the barge landing.

Buckingham repeated the process for the 475,000-pound compressor, moving it from the facility on a 6-line SPMT, then transloading it by gantry onto a 14-line Goldhofer dual-lane trailer. Due to the compressor’s gross permitted weight of 836,000 pounds, the over-the-road configuration required both pull and push tractors as well as winch truck support to manage the steep grade immediately outside the plant. Buckingham configured the trailer at its narrowest width of 14 feet to exit the plant’s driveway and clear the toll road infrastructure, then widened the trailer to 16 feet 6 inches to distribute the weight. The route continued over hilly terrain and along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, where the team rerouted around a low-capacity bridge and temporarily crossed the median, traveling the wrong direction through an intersection to avoid overhead obstructions.

Limited access at the barge dock on the Allegheny River created another logistical challenge. The 40-foot-wide dock entrance could not accommodate the dual-lane trailer, making direct delivery impossible. Buckingham used the 500-ton gantry system onsite to transload the units from the dual-lane trailers to 12 lines of Goldhofer SPMT, allowing the loads to be backed into the dock endwise and positioned within reach of the barge crane. The inner bundle cask was transloaded first and lifted onto the barge, followed by the compressor.

Through detailed planning, specialized transport engineering, and coordinated field execution, Buckingham successfully delivered both components from the manufacturer to the river barge, completing a technically demanding transport operation with expert efficiency.

Client Satisfaction
Buckingham completed the entire project safely and within the client’s optimal timeframe. The project demonstrated Buckingham’s ability to adapt to confined industrial spaces, complex permitting requirements, route obstacles, and restricted dock conditions while maintaining full control of oversized and super-heavy loads.

Equipment Used