23
INTERNATIONAL AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
■
NOVEMBER 2013
>
Changing
tides
The popularity of SPMT is
continually growing. As a
result manufacturers are
producing products that
are compatible and capable
of operating on a range
of different work sites.
LAURA HATTON reports
I
n his second practical how-to article
(August 2013 issue page 33) Marco van
Daal differentiated between the various
different types of specialized transport
equipment and the terminology used in its
reference. In his article van Daal defined a
self propelled modular transporter (SPMT)
as a transporter that is propelled by a unit
or a power pack. In this instance, power
comes from a diesel engine and one or
more hydraulic pumps, which drive the
hydraulic drive motors on the axles of
the transporter.
Depending on the type of applications
required, the number of axles on an SPMT
can vary extensively. This has added to
its success throughout the industry and
SPMTs are now used all over the world
at oil and gas construction projects and
other sites for transporting oversize and
overweight objects.
“The great success of SPMTs is based
on the possibility to couple amongst the
different vehicle generations,” explains
Christopher Rimmele, public relations
manager TII sales. “Worldwide more
than 13,000 axle lines of Scheuerle and
Kamag SPMTs are in use and, over the
past twelve months, 1,500 axle line orders
were from ALE, Mammoet, Roll-Lift and
Sarens. The availability of axle lines all over
the world gives a high flexibility to TII
customers as they can rent in or rent out
axle lines in order to cover their demand
of axle lines for their various transport
projects and operations.”
A result of this international availability
generally means that new models of
SPMT work with previous designs and
in some cases, even with competitor
products. The latest generation of SPMT
from, for example, TII, is the Generation
4 of Scheuerle and Kamag SPMT. The
transporter has a compact design, which
allows high point loads due to short
axle distance to minimise the effective
bending moment on the spine beam, the
manufacturer explains.
“In addition, Generation 4 works
SPMT
Self propelled modular transporter (SPMT) is used worldwide for a broad range of jobs, from
on-site logistics to shipyard use and in construction. An example of SPMT in action was seen
earlier this year in Oak Creek, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA when the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation replaced the Rawson Avenue Bridge.
For the project, Scheuerle SPMT was used using an accelerated bridge construction (ABC)
technique. The SPMT was used to lift and transport the new bridge spans into place.
Turbine parts on 12 axle
lines of Scheuerle SPMT
owned by Mammoet
SPMT AT WORK
