From sea to site: engineering a 240-tonne heavy lift with SPMTs and steel roadplates
SPMTs and steel roadplates
We recently had the chance to help out with our good friends at Kingswell Haulage on the Isle of Wight moving this 240-tonne load and SPMT combination!
A very large autoclave needed bringing over from the mainland by sea and then needed moving by road before siting in a manufacturing plant.
As part of that, a specialist very heavy-duty ‘lock and lift’ gantry crane was required and the runway for that needed levelling and load mitigation measures.
To this end, 52 pieces Heavy Duty Steel 2.5×1.25 x 20mm ‘skate plates’ were provided. Putting the whole thing on a firm footing.
What is an SPMT?
They are Self-Propelled-Modular-
What was needed?
An area to be hardened to allow safe passage, plus a flat and level base on which to mount lifting equipment on.
How was this achieved?
In order to deal with an uneven concrete surface, 10 tonnes of sand was levelled to a layer of around 75mm thick and this was then compacted. The steel roadplates were then laid on top in double thickness, forming a sturdy base.
Pictures courtesy of Rob Kingswell
Above and beyond
You may recognise the photos below from recent media coverage. They are pictures of a project carried out near Chichester in the floods.
The client had devised a clever scheme to reopen an access that had been inundated by floodwater but retained the ability to let the water ultimately drain away.
44 pieces of temporary vehicle control barrier (TVCB) were positioned on the kerbline in a retaining wall function. Between these a 3-metre section was infilled with clean coarse loose stone, allowing the abating water flow to pass through it.
The trafficked surface was decked over with TUFF TRAK , ensuring a safe, firm grip for the mixed goods and passenger vehicles that needed to use it, without the risk of displacing or rutting the aggregate.
Picture care of Matt Coburn and special thanks to Eddie Mitchell.
All along the watchtower
Let’s take you back to the tail end of 2025 and a project that presented unique challenges for the time of year.
Faced with a tight pre-Christmas deadline and midwinter coastal gales, we successfully completed the installation of the new Littlehampton Harbourmaster’s watchtower in collaboration with Landbuild.
Ground Protection & Logistics
To protect the site’s lawned areas, our hire installs team deployed TUFF TRAK ground protection, ensuring a stable, ‘no-bruise’ platform for all heavy plant and personnel. Due to the structure’s oversized dimensions, the project required specialist abload permits and escort vehicles to navigate the transport route.
Engineering & Lifting Solutions
The timber-clad and copper-roofed watchtower was a fine thing to look at, but it presented unique center-of-gravity challenges, as lifting points had not been integrated into the original design.
Our quick-thinking caps were needed, and the team swiftly engineered a solution:
Custom recovery beams: Fabricated to allow for the extraction of cross-beams from one side of the lift during Phase 1.
The big lift: Using our new 99 t/m FASSI crane to reattach at the exact point of balance for final positioning.
Sequential jacking: We developed a bespoke scheme to jack the pavilion and remove packing shims, ensuring a precision seat onto the tower base.
Despite an 8pm finish and the shortest daylight hours of the year, our team’s resourcefulness ensured the ‘battle’ was won before the holiday break.
Photos courtesy of Ryan Russel, Connel Preston, Carl Somner and Wayne McKinder.
The Italian Job
With the association of the famous Ferrari brand, we expect performance and passion in spades. This project, working with international construction and design contractors extraordinaire Sice Previt, certainly didn’t disappoint!
It had the full range of challenges:
- A set of four bespoke, irregular and curved steel structural staircase elements – up to 8 metres long and 6 tonnes in weight per section – to be threaded through a fragile and historic shop window aperture, barely large enough to accept them.
- A compressed time frame. When we were contacted just before Christmas, these stairs were being handcrafted in Italy. The actual units didn’t arrive at our works for us to lay eyes on them until the afternoon of the first of the five consecutive dates of night time delivery slots.
- The site – the eagerly awaited new Ferrari store on the infamously busy Piccadilly in central London – was not straightforward. As well as full lane closures with pedestrian and traffic management, it had some sensitive neighbours, including Cartier and DeBeers diamond house. The footway had some challenges. Limited scope for road closures meant the load, crane and rigging geometry had to be perfect. The footway had to be thoroughly prepared for the outrigger loads. We worked with the clients structural engineers and provided mitigation plates to resolve those issues.
- Our AP and lift team, having made several trips to site to check critical details, recognised the need for exemplary preparation and load engineering. This resulted in our decision to completely recreate the street scene. Complete with shop window aperture, street furniture and a full scale wire-frame replica of the trickiest load element. This allowed our operators and four-man lift team to rehearse and refine the lift procedures to fully dimension the required position for all of our trucks and equipment ahead of the limited delivery slots.
- As you can see from the pictures, the transitions were tight. Each night from 22:00 into the small hours, a separate section was delivered and carefully lifted in and handed over to the Italian internal lift team, who took each piece into the three-storey interior void for installation.
After five nights of a collective effort of competence, confidence and understanding – and despite the language barrier – our part in this project was completed. On time and on budget with zero incident.
“The whole Sice team thanks you [Southdown] for the great support you’ve given us these days,” said Pierluigi Bardi, retail project manager and store designer at Sice Previt.
“Your team has been super collaborative and very helpful in all the structure manoeuvres. Hope to collaborate in the UK in the future.”
We wish our new Italian friends every success in completing London and then heading to New York for another similar adventure.
Photos courtesy of Ryan Russel and Wayne McKinder.
Vacancy – Workshop / HGV Service Advisor
Southdown Engineers are looking for: *Workshop / HGV Service Advisor*
Required to act as the key link between customers, suppliers, and workshop technicians.
A fast-paced, organised role supporting daily workshop operations and customer service.
Call 01273 493300 for additional information.
Vacancy – HGV / Plant Mechanic
Southdown Engineers are looking for: *HGV / Plant Mechanic*
Experienced HGV / Plant Mechanic required to service, maintain, and repair HGVs, trailers, and plant equipment.
Hands-on role for a skilled, reliable engineer.
Call 01273 493300 for additional information.
When a plan comes together…
This project had a long tail. We were contacted by the bridge manufacturer back in the spring, regarding working with them again on a tricky Right of Way (RoW) bridge replacement.
The old wooden version had been condemned and despite every effort to restrict access, Joe Public was hell-bent on using it anyway!
After various meetings and assessments, we were contracted by Bracknell Forest Council directly to deliver a turnkey solution for the following:
- Receive 16.25 metre long bridge in the UK at our Sussex facility – unload, store and facilitate sub-contractor access for railing fixtures etc.
- Install and subsequently remove a 400 metre section of TUFF TRAK heavy duty temporary access across a sensitive water meadow including parts of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
- Road transport to site.
- Transfer bridge from highway to lift zone.
- Lift in and install next to the river.
And all this within a five-day week!
As it transpired, thanks to sterling efforts by Ryan and the team, we actually handed the site over a day early.
Well done everyone.
Photos care of Ryan Russell, Scott Tait and Connel Preston.
Wide Load Teamwork – Making The Dream Work!
Tasked with collecting a 40ft x 12ft office cabin, weighing c. 4 tonne, from Pevensey and deliver it to KSD Mackley, in Newhaven, it needed proper planning and teamwork, involving 4 of the Southdown squad.
Rendezvousing in Pevensey first thing was Carl in one of the fleet’s 32 tonne rigids fitted with a Hiab capable of craning more than 11 tonne at 6 metres, so a pretty easy lift onto Lugs’ artic for transport.
Being a wide load, and adhering to all the necessary road-safety precautions and the company’s FORS standard, ‘Lugs’ needed a ‘2nd man’, Matt, to keep a 2nd pair of eyes all round and in the mirrors and for any potential hazard or obstacle that might result in a roadblock or complete disaster. Up front was stalwart Tony, in the 4×4 escort vehicle, with hazard lights on and WIDE LOAD sign above the cab to courteously encouraging drivers to make way for the oncoming convoy.
After a thankfully unadventurous 75 minute trip along the south coast to Newhaven, and Chapter 8 barriers helping create a safe unloading area, the cabin was carefully lifted from Lugs’ artic to terra firma. Job done, just going to prove the old phrase that “teamwork makes the dream work”!
Why You Really Need Southdown Engineers!
1. You get an unmatched range of cranes at your disposal.
Our crane hire offering is backed by a fleet of modern, meticulously maintained cranes designed for a wide range of lifting operations. Whether your project demands delicate handling for high-rise construction or heavy-duty performance for industrial tasks, we have equipment that meets and exceeds industry standards, including:
- Very heavy duty lorry loading cranes
- Lorry loading cranes
- Traction only articulated trucks
- 4×4 Towing vehicle and light duty trailer
- Drop side HIAB with loading crane
- Max payload
- Super heavy lift
- Heavy lift
- Long reach
- Super urban
- The Mule
- 50 Tonner/Metre Beavertails
- Wagon & Drag, Hiab drag trailers
- Trombone trailers
- Low-loader trailers + step-frame or flat
- Curtainsides with open roofs
- Short stubby trailers
- The latest addition to the fleet is the iconic long-haul Volvo FH, being heavy duty yet versatile, with a HIAB reach of more than 28 metres.
2. You get a non-mechanical plant division.
For almost 30 years we’ve been helping clients by delivering and either renting or selling them essential non-mechanical plant, with the same responsive service as our transport division, and stock holding levels that makes us a trusted partner and provider of a wide range of cross-hired equipment, including:
- Road Plate Hire
- Trench Shoring Hire
- Site Storage Hire
- Site Welfare and Accommodation
- Barriers and Fencing Hire
- Temporary Pathways, Pedestrian and Footway Boards
- Temporary Roadway and Ground Protection
- Ramps and Chutes
- Crane Mats and Timber Products
With nationwide transport operations we understand that reliable, professional transport is the lifeblood of 21st century industry.
Delivering and positioning cargo with the same vehicles keeps costs down, avoids expensive crane hire and saves space on site. So whether you are a multinational with a craning project or a self builder with a tricky delivery on site Southdown Engineers Ltd has a solution to suit you.
3. You get in-house, expert technical services.
When you need something more than transport or plant, our dedicated technical teams are on hand to help, whether it’s fabricating something you just won’t get off the shelf, to getting your truck back on the road, escorting an abnormal load or needing a safe and effective lift plan. Again, tell us what you need and we’ll come up with a solution, or two.
4. You get time to talk through sites and scenarios.
Few site situations or problems are exactly the same, so it’s unlikely that what worked last time fits perfectly this time. Also, we don’t want clients to take unnecessary risks that could have disastrous consequences. Sadly, we see too often enquiries decided purely on the lowest price possible…
By fully understanding your situation, the site challenges and restrictions, even budgetary constraints, we’re able to advise clients properly based on our vast experience of similar situations, confidence in our fleet and operators, and proven engineering calculations all of which combine to ensure everyone is safe and the job executed perfectly.
5. You get the peace of mind and confidence of dealing with a fully accredited and insured supplier (and partner).
6. You get the personal service you’d expect from a longstanding family business, with a great reputation that we want to preserve, as well as yours too, of course!
7. You get guaranteed reliability and consistency as we only employ our own loyal, trained drivers and operators. Our staff and drivers are all in training programmes, keeping abreast with industry developments, technological advances, improvements in health and safety and good working practice.
8. You get looked after amongst the growing number of very happy customers, many of whom first heard about us through recommendations.
JUST SOME OF OUR INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING REQUESTS:
- 3 heavyweights pull together in a tight space
- Low loading to the highest standard at Liberty Bridge
- Rapidly deployed road plates at Battersea Power Station
- Swift deployment to scupper travellers
- Last-minute help for 80 tonne crane movement
- Positioning Europe’s largest indoor tree
Call us for a friendly chat and advice the next time you’re looking for transport or lifting vehicles, or non-mechanical plant delivery or installation as we have almost unlimited permutations and breadth of solutions to offer, saving you time, hassle and money, being key reasons long-standing clients choose Southdown for their equipment and logistical requirements.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Delivering a Luxury Sauna – No Sweat!
Wildhut was established by two British female entrepreneurs, Lisa Deller and Thaisa Box, who were passionate about raising awareness of the staggering psychological and physiological health benefits of authentic, high-end luxury outdoor sauna cabins.
With a Tuli 4-person garden sauna to deliver to a new client in the New Forest, Wildhut approached Southdown to see whether they could coordinate its tricky installation, including transport and careful positioning of the sauna hut in the client’s rear garden, across manicured lawns, through the trees, past the football goals and over the chalet into its final destination on a pre-installed concrete pad. And relax!
Ground protection would also be essential along this winding grassed route, to spread the weight of one of the company’s many 32 tonne rigid lorries plus this fully-assembled sauna cabin. So the team laid anti-slip ground mats, made from recycled polypropylene and able to support a 45 tonne lorry. But so too would a couple of steel road plates to one garden section where previous muck-away lorries had caused a significant dip that would otherwise have rendered the route impassable for a lorry. With everything in place, the delivery commenced.
The job went seamlessly – and to plan – but that’s the benefit of having all these elements within the business: combining the ground protection and crossing plate installation team with expert drivers in the transport team.
For more details on any of our transport or HIAB services, or advice on anything from lifting plans deliveries to abnormal load escorts, give us a call on 01273 493300.
Or if you’ve a sauna, hot-tub, spa, swim-spa or pool shell to install, and it needs transport to or lowering into your intended location, over your house, cave, trees – or even your neighbour’s house – then we can also take away the stress and sweat (in a slightly different way to one of these delightful Wildhut saunas) by making it all happen smoothly, on time and within budget. Give us a call!
Photos courtesy of Conner Cole