P&L Machine Moving and Rigging in Johannesburg, South Africa, has used an Enerpac SBL500 gantry for careful handling and positioning of a refurbished 60 t electrical substation skid on a flatbed truck for transportation to the nearby Kriel Colliery. On average twice a year, P&L is asked to assist refurbishing of skid-mounted, electrical substations from local mines at its Benoni warehouse facility. Boiler makers, shot blast and painting crews dismantle the skid for Actom, South Africa’s leading electro-mechanical equipment company. The parts that need refurbishment or replacing are collected from Actom’s suppliers. P&L then assist with the reassembly, commissioning and testing.

For the most recent project, the substation was too large to be loaded onto the lowbed inside the warehouse. The refurbished skid was moved to the warehouse exit using a 30 t Pick and Carry machine and large machine moving axles. Once outside, to raise the skid higher for transporting, P&L lifted the 60 t skid with its four leg Enerpac SBL500 hydraulic gantry, and the lowbed truck reversed underneath the skid which was then lowered onto the vehicle. The skid was then transported to Kriel Colliery where it was offloaded with mobile cranes.

Designed and tested to meet ASME B30.1-2015 safety standards, the Enerpac SBL500 is part of the SBL-Series Super Boom Lift telescopic gantries and has a maximum lift capacity with four legs of 500 t. It features self-contained hydraulics and electronics, Intelli-Lift wireless control system and self-propelled wheels or tank rollers. “We use the Enerpac SBL500 for a wide range of industrial lifting tasks where accurate lifting and positioning are essential. It gives us the flexibility we need when approaching many lifting projects where there is limited working space,” says, Gareth Lucas, Director, P & L Machine Moving and Rigging.