Heavy Service Gear

[naplespete57]

Ran into an interesting problems recently and it involved heavy switchgear.

I was to demo a soft starter from a Electrical Room wall. It was quite heavy. Myself and my apprentice cobbled a block and wood underneath it to catch it while we unfastened it. When it came unfastened it did not balance properly on the support and did a slow fall from about 2'. It was not damaged and no one got hurt but still....

Does anyone have any ideas how this could be done better with just tools/equipment found normally on a construction site. Tips or tricks?

 

[chris kennedy]

Often I will disassemble as much of the guts as possible, removing a few heavy pieces instead of one very heavy piece.

 

[zbang]

I'm partial to using a forklift. There are some manual ones that'll fit through a standard doorway. After that, a spanset and come-along to a beam.

 

[charlietuna]

Most large switchgear that is top heavy has warnings posted on it's sides when shipped! We accepted a section one time that looked normal in the delivery truck--but when we opened it up the insulators were bent and some shattered ! We had a tough time getting the transport company to cover the damage--it turned into a finger pointing game! We could remember the driver acting very funny and he kept warning us about it being top heavy as we unloaded it with a forklift??? I am always cautious about equipment balancing when it is shipped on it's back, like large VFDs or transfer switches. Then it is best to open it up to determine the proper rigging point.

 

[zbang]

Then it is best to open it up to determine the proper rigging point.

Or simply hire a rigger. They have their own insurance. (This may not be feasible for a single wall-mounted cabinet. Popping the covers to see the heavy parts is a good idea.)