C.H. Robinson smoothly transfer a transformer

The project logistics team at C.H. Robinson was recently involved in relocating an electrical transformer from a decommissioned turbine farm to serve as backup to existing transformers on a newer turbine farm.

The scope was to supply the crane and riggers plus the inland trucking from one mesa hilltop to another in Texas. The transformer measured 5.08 x 3.35 x 4.30m and weighed 59mtn. The project also involved two loads of parts and accessories, weighing 30mtn.

One of the main challenges was accessing the roads leading in and out of the two sites. The origin site had a railway line running parallel with the county road and the shipper had to build up fill dirt on both sides of the track to level the ground (as photographed in the gallery below) so the trucks could cross safely as without this, the main transformer load would not have cleared the tracks. There were also cattle grills along the access roads so metal sheets were laid out to help prevent damage.

An all-terrain forklift that was transported to both origin and destination sites was used to load and unload the loose equipment. The transformer loading took place at the origin on a Friday and was transferred to the county road by the end of the day. Then, the transformer was transported 30 miles to the destination site on Saturday morning and unloaded on Saturday afternoon.

No damage was incurred during the operation and a safe pad-to-pad transfer was completed. C.H. Robinson's experts on the ground were able to keep the job moving and assist with any issues that arose, big or small, including a flat tire on the main truck, inadequate rigging for lifting the transformer, cattle grill hang-ups and railway line crossings etc. Regular safety meetings were held as each leg was handled, especially during transportation and unloading. Working face-to-face with the customer's site manager, crew and truckers, as well as the crane operator and riggers, helped keep everyone safe and on task.