In many countries – and especially in Germany – there is still a great requirement for action and making up lost ground in the renovation and construction of bridges.
Such a project was realised on the A1 Federal motorway near Reinfeld, Schleswig-Holstein, for which the Hüffermann Group contributed its competences in heavy load logistics. A bridge over the motorway had to be renewed here.
The five concrete beams each weighed 68 tonnes and measured 49.5 metres in length.
Two-day project
Following the preparatory work, the actual transport was to be carried out in two steps. On the first day, the beams were transported to an intermediate store.
Two turntable combinations from the MSPE series were used in an open compound. Each combination consisted of a 6-axle and a 4-axle SPMT with power pack units of 202 kW and 129 kW respectively.
The turntables on the self-propelled modular transport vehicles enabled the combination to be moved around the tightest bends and passages. The SPMT was able to turn under the load. The maximum payload of such a combination as used here is 250 tonnes per turntable.
According to Rocco Schimmel from the Eisele company, who acted as operations manager of the transport vehicle, the turntables were also the key to the successful execution of the project. "Without the turntables we would never have been able to drive with the SPMT on two lanes simultaneously with the central reservation in-between. And at the latest at the first roundabout we wouldn't have got any further without the Cometto turntable. The saw would literally have jammed there", says Rocco with a smile.
"We are delighted that this operation was the first in which TWO SPMT turntable combinations with a width of 2.43 m were in action SIMULTANEOUSLY on public roads in Germany", adds Joachim Kolb, Sales Manager at Cometto. A first in the heavy load sector … propelled to the MAX!
"This battle of materials was an integral part of the client's contract", reports Daniel Janssen, CEO of the Hüffermann Group, "so that the motorway closures could be reduce to a minimum. And X-hire renting helped us here, too. We hired one turntable set and two power pack units from Schares in Bocholt for this operation."
A mix of competences
The last step of the operation was the transport of the concrete beam profiles from the store to the motorway. The two combinations accomplished their task to the complete satisfaction of everyone involved. The entire transport and assembly work was carried out by the Hüffermann Group together with Hüffermann from Wildeshausen, Thömen from Hamburg and Eisele from Maintal.
Date of publication: 11/2023