54
SITE REPORT
TRANSPORT
ACT
DECEMBER2014
Transporting a 186-foot demethanizer tower 912miles
fromOklahoma to Colorado requiredmeticulous planning
from every perspective.
N
orthwest LogisticsHeavyHaul
isoften calledon to transport
giant components foruse in
theoil andgas sector. So itwasno surprise
when theygot the call tohaul ahuge
demethanizer tower fromBrokenArrow,
OK toanatural gasprocessingplant near
Fort Lupton,CO.
The towermeasured186 feet long,was
11 feet indiameter andweighed540,000
pounds. The912mile tripwould require
12 travel days, averaging76milesperday.
The first challengewasdetermining
the route and the equipment required to
haul thedemethanizer tower.Northwest’s
teamutilized22 linesof theirdual-lane
transporter for thismove.
The state-of-the-artGoldhofer trailer
systemallows eachof the22 lines (44
axles) tooperate independently, resulting
inadvancedmaneuverabilityand control.
Four 600horsepowerKenworth trucks
wereused topower the loaddown the
road, twopull trucks and twopush
trucks. Thegrossweight tipped the scales
at over 1.1millionpounds. The total
lengthmeasuredout to427 feet. The total
loadheight andwidth reached18 feet.
Northwest utilizednine full-time escorts
including five civilianvehicles and four
highwaypatrol vehicles
Northwest’s teamof engineers and field
supervisorsworkedwith local and state
Details, details
permittingoffices for sixmonthsprior
to themoveplanningand engineering
the route. Thepermitted route took
the load420miles across theplainsof
NorthernOklahoma, 194miles through
SouthwesternKansas farmland, and298
milesover the lowlands and foothillsof
Colorado.
Obstacles aplenty
Northwest LogisticsHeavyHaulManager
JohnnyMefferd said the routewas riddled
with challenges.
“Itwas incrediblydifficult terrainwe
wereworkingwith— countlesshills,
major cities and extremelynarrow turns
were all present for the courseof this trip,”
Mefferd said. “Prior todeparture,wehad
our engineering teamdoan in-depth
analysisof all critical turns and railroad
crossings,whileour field crew ranout
route surveys.”
SteveSteele, project supervisor,
Northwest LogisticsHeavyHaul, recounts
oneof themoredifficult obstaclesof the
job.
“Wehad to clear abridge inBrush,
Colorado,” Steele explained. “We knew
The demethanizer tower
measured 186 feet long,
was 11 feet in diameter and
weighed 540,000 pounds.
The 912mile tripwould require
12 travel days.
Clearing a bridge overpass in Brush,
Colorado required lowering the
suspension of the dual lane transporter
more than a foot.
