Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85437
severe service TALES OF TWO SUPER-HEAVY HAULS haul fleet transported four steam generators from a power plant in California to a long-term storage site in Clive, Utah. Each generator weighed in at 804,000 pounds and measured 47 feet long by 15 wide by 14 feet 9 inches high. Each rig stretched 399 feet with a gross combination 1.5 million pounds up a 7% grade I n 2011, Perkins Specialized Transportation launched the biggest series of hauls in its his- tory. The Northfield, Minn.-based 22-truck heavy- Each load required three Mack Titans weight of 1.5 million pounds, or 750 tons. Rolling along 960 miles of roads and freeways that included a 15-mile trip up a 7 percent grade of Interstate 15 through California's Cajon Pass, the hauls were the culmination of two years' worth of planning. A trailer for the move occupied two lanes of highway in operation. Then there are the trucks. Three Mack Titans handled each load, two pushing and one pulling. Customized in Mack's New Vehicle Options Center (popularly known as the Mod Center) in Macungie, Pa., two of the models featured 605-hp Mack MP10 engines, 4-speed auxiliary transmissions and rear- engine PTOs to run the hydraulics. Also: triple frame rails, 70,000-lb. planetary rear ends, customized front- frame extensions and modified interiors. "We worked with the Mod Center to build a Titan of Titans, a tractor that can pull upwards of one million pounds – with some help, of course," said Bob Nuss, president of Nuss Truck & Equipment, which sold the units to Perkins. "That's one of the reasons Mack is here," said com- Scan this QR code with your smart- phone to see a Mack video of the Perkins haul unveiled at the Mid- America Trucking Show in March, or search "Extreme Truck, Extreme Job, Perkins" on youtube.com. pany President Neil Perkins. "The job requires the right tools and equipment. We have to plan exactly how the equipment will be spec'd. This isn't something we want to do every time a new truck comes out. Mack was will- ing to make changes to the tractor that met the chal- lenges of our business." move of two massive coke drums on custom-designed trailers "Lewis" and "Clark," news came down about another unique Emmert haul. The company was featured on American Public Media's Marketplace radio program for their work hauling the raw material for one massive rock show – Levitated Mass, a sculptural installation piece conceived by Michael Heizer and bound for the Los 44 OVERDRIVE JUNE 2012 Need a 340-ton boulder moved? J ust as the April issue of Overdrive was going to press, featuring the story of Emmert International's Angeles County Museum of Art. For the hauling, Emmert utilized three trucks (one lead and two pushers) to tote the boulder slowly – and only at night – into L.A. and along the city's streets. The 60-mile trip took 10 days. To give you an idea of the kind of time and mpg the combined unit was making as it crawled along, as company founder Terry Emmert told Marketplace reporters, "I'd say we're probably getting about 15 gallons per mile. We're doing about 8 to 10 miles a night. If you can believe it, the total price tag for purchasing, moving and install- ing the boulder once all the work is done is estimated to come in around $10 million – the bill footed by private LACMA donors. Scan the QR code with your smartphone to pull up a video of the first night of trans- port of the giant boulder, or search "Making of Levitated Mass" on you- tube.com for more.