Barnhart was hired to assist with a slew bearing swap on a stacker reclaimer at a mill in Washington state. This involved lifting the 900,000-pound reclaimer off the pedestal to swap out bearings.
Barnhart brought a 12k forklift and 130-ton crane for moving and lifting components for the reclaimer. The team also brought crane mats, pipe stands, multi purpose girders and a 1000-ton pull-up gantry (PUG) package.
The main advantage of PUGs beyond high capacity, low mobilization and easy assembly is the ability to block the units making it safe for crew to work under the unit.
They are equipped with a holding valve for additional safety. These locking redundancies allow for work to be performed safely overhead.
The 900,000-pound reclaimer was lifted 18” off the pedestal with the PUGs. The old bearing was swapped out with the new one and the reclaimer was lowered back into position.