Collett adds Greiner BUSY 1050 to bypass bridge load restrictions

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UK heavy transport specialist Collett & Sons has added a Greiner BUSY 1050 bridge crossing system to its fleet, giving the company an in house option for moving heavy cargo across bridges, culverts and other structures where conventional axle loads would exceed permitted limits.

The system creates a temporary engineered crossing above an existing structure, transferring the transport combination across the obstacle without imposing its full axle loads directly onto the structure below.

For project cargo operators, the capability addresses a familiar route planning problem. A road may have sufficient width, headroom and turning space for an abnormal load, yet a single weak bridge can make the entire route unusable.

The Greiner BUSY 1050 can overbridge structures with spans of up to 25 metres. Its modular construction allows engineers to alter the crossing length according to the structure and transport configuration involved.

The system carries a rating of 1,050 metre tonnes, although its actual permissible capacity depends on factors including crossing span, axle arrangement and load distribution.

Each deployment will therefore require an individual engineering assessment rather than relying on a single maximum payload figure.

Collett said its engineering team will calculate the required configuration and permissible loading for each operation, taking account of the existing structure and the transport combination that must cross it.

The principle is relatively simple. Instead of asking an ageing or restricted bridge to carry the concentrated forces generated by a heavy transport combination, another structure is temporarily placed above it to distribute those forces differently.

The investment comes as increasingly large transformers, energy equipment and other project cargoes place greater demands on road infrastructure.

Bridge restrictions can force heavy transport operators to undertake lengthy diversions or carry out temporary civil works. In some cases, they can make an otherwise practical route impossible.

Collett already operates specialist girder bridge equipment for heavy transformer movements. Its fleet includes Greiner equipment used to reduce axle loading and distribute the weight of heavy cargo across larger trailer configurations.

The BUSY 1050 serves a different purpose. Rather than supporting the cargo itself, it provides a temporary crossing for the complete transport combination.

David Collett, Managing Director, said the system would give the company greater flexibility as transport requirements evolve.

“The addition of our first bridge crossing system provides greater versatility in the service we can offer our clients. As market requirements continue to evolve, so too must our fleet and capabilities, ensuring we continue to develop the solutions our clients require.”

Deployment will involve Collett’s engineering, heavy lift and heavy transport teams. Engineering work will determine the crossing configuration, while the system must then be assembled over the restricted structure before the heavy transport operation can proceed.

The company carried out a trial assembly of the BUSY 1050 at its Goole Heavy Lift depot in northern England.

Its first project using the newly acquired system is scheduled for later in September.