Transformer Technologies was preparing to decommission a 55,000-pound transformer at a Boring, OR substation. What should have been a straightforward task was complicated by a few things: the transformer being removed had also live, high voltage electrical lines surrounding it, and limited points of access. This would make standard methods of removal–using a crane pick, or a jack and slide system–next to impossible without extra cost and time.

Also, neither Transformer Technologies nor the transformer’s owner, Portland General Electric (PGE), wanted clients to experience outages in order to remove the transformer. Given this, they contacted our Portland-based machinery moving specialists to get the job done on time, on budget and without any outages or downtime.

Our crews got the job done with our Riggers 120 forklift–a specialized lift that uses foam-filled tires, allowing it to get into places that hard-tire lifts would not be able to access easily. This proved to be both efficient and cost-effective. Our crews removed the transformer safely and without complication.

No other rigging contractor in the Pacific Northwest has a forklift with that kind of capacity in a foam or rubber tire. We were very happy to have the opportunity to serve Transformer Technologies and PGE with this move.

You can read more details about the complexities of this project in our latest case study.