road plate hire

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-Transport vehicles. Ideal for heavy loads as the can steer and lift in tight spaces. Having many wheels means that the load is distributed as equally as possible.

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