Fork trucks and gantries move stamping press

Based out of Indianapolis, Egenolf Industrial Group Inc. has been a provider of specialized rigging and relocation of high-end machinery since 1973. The company offers industrial services for manufacturing and material processing, particularly in the metal forming/stamping and the graphic arts industries.

Recently, the company had to transport a metal stamping press from central Indiana to central Mississippi using two legs of the company's hydraulic, telescoping gantry, the 500 ton capacity 34PT5400 WS Power Tower model, manufactured by Lift Systems Inc., says Ken Sitzman, vice president of sales and operations manager of Egenolf.

Sitzman says the Power Tower is cutting-edge technology in gantries and that it is the safest and most foolproof system for lifting heavy loads in certain conditions. He says the key to the Power Tower is three fold: steel boom sections, a wedge-locking system and integrated leveling system. The steel boom sections encase the hydraulic cylinders and actually carry the weight of the load. This way, the cylinders can raise and lower the boom sections and the steel booms then carry the load of the pick. Also, if for any reason hydraulic pressure is lost, the Wedge-Lock safety mechanism is activated. The system activates a mechanical wedge that captures the steel boom and holds it in place.

Finally, while in the middle of a heavy lift, the Power Tower has an integrated system that monitors the height of each gantry leg in relation to each other.

The combination of the Power Tower and Royal 40/60 Rig-N-Lift, an extendable chassis forklift with stackable counterweights, were two of the keys to the printing press relocation project. Egenolf began by lifting the back feet of the press with the Power Tower. Then, with just more than 30 feet of pick on the hydraulic boom attached to the 40/60 Rig-N-Lift forklift, the company was able to “catch” and begin to lower the 150,000 pound press from a vertical position to horizontal. With a quick adjustment of the hitch from the back feet to the crown, the press was lowered to the ground. The low-end torque of the 40/60 allowed workers to skate the press into position for loading onto a specialized 13 axle tractor-trailer for heavy-haul transportation.

Once the press, its accessories and rigging equipment arrived in Mississippi, the rigging process was reversed. Again the gantries and forklift were used to stand the press up and set into position. While electricians were unwiring the press, the concrete crew prepped the foundation and poured concrete. While the riggers were preparing for the heavy lifts, the mechanics were inspecting the press and measuring distances between feeders and uncoilers.