Moving Gear...

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mstrlucky74

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NJ
Trying to confirm how many shipping sections this will come in. Trying to confirm with vendor. If it is sectioned as shown(5) what's the best way to set these in place? A forklift? J They will be mounted on slab on grade in a separate stand alone structure. There will be enough space to get these in through gate in side of building. Thanks.
 

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Forklift involves an operating engineer, we use an electric pallet jack or a regular pallet jack. That transformer section might need a fork lift depending on the weight.
 
infinity said:
Forklift involves an operating engineer, we use an electric pallet jack or a regular pallet jack. That transformer section might need a fork lift depending on the weight.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Why does forklift involve OE? Well now that I think electrician are not going to have forklift and it might require special certification!?

What do you guy do when gear or something else for your trade require forklift? Thanks
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Thanks. Why does forklift involve OE? Well now that I think electrician are not going to have forklift and it might require special certification!?

What do you guy do when gear or something else for your trade require forklift? Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes there are requirements for forklift operators and OE's aren't cheap. :D

If the gear is too big for us to handle, say in excess of 8000 pounds, we hire a rigging company to set it in place.
 
infinity said:
Yes there are requirements for forklift operators and OE's aren't cheap. :D

If the gear is too big for us to handle, say in excess of 8000 pounds, we hire a rigging company to set it in place.
Click to expand...

Thanks...so pallet jacks can handle about 3-4klbs section of gear? Rigging isn't cheap either :D. Actually would think it should be more expensive that using a forklift guy onsite for a few hours.
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Trying to confirm how many shipping sections this will come in. Trying to confirm with vendor. If it is sectioned as shown(5) what's the best way to set these in place? A forklift? J They will be mounted on slab on grade in a separate stand alone structure. There will be enough space to get these in through gate in side of building. Thanks.
Click to expand...

seriously....you've been at this for a while, and you have never had to set switchgear that comes in sections?

How does your shop deal with it? Do you have forklifts, dollys, pinch bars....or do you sub it out to riggers?

Setting switchgear for a commercial electrical contractor is as common as trimming out a receptacle
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Lift gate.....
Click to expand...
Lift gates usually only go up to about 3500#, is the transformer section under that?

Unless your crew is experienced with this, and the site doesn't already have a lift or crane operator, I'd hire a rigger to handle it; why have a crew of electricians moving things when they could be doing electrical work? That, and if the hired rigger drops a section......

Oh, and forklift drivers do not legally need to be organized labor (OE, Teamsters, etc), it's all a about the job location. OTOH you do need a training certification.
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Thanks...so pallet jacks can handle about 3-4klbs section of gear? Rigging isn't cheap either :D. Actually would think it should be more expensive that using a forklift guy onsite for a few hours.
Click to expand...

The pallet jacks that we use are rated for 5500#'s which is adequate for almost all switchgear sections. Transformers are a different story, we have set some that weighed 9500 #'s. Typically the ones we install are no more than 5000#'s. This stuff requires skill, experience and the right tools so that the equipment doesn't get damaged and that no one gets hurt or worse. In my experience many guys I see moving and installing this stuff are unqualified.

My brother was on a job some years ago when the laborer took a big piece of gear off of a flat bed trailer with a forklift and it tipped over and killed the foreman right in front of everybody.

Our gear supplier has a truck with an extra heavy duty lift gate.
 
infinity said:
The pallet jacks that we use are rated for 5500#'s which is adequate for almost all switchgear sections. Transformers are a different story, we have set some that weighed 9500 #'s. Typically the ones we install are no more than 5000#'s. This stuff requires skill, experience and the right tools so that the equipment doesn't get damaged and that no one gets hurt or worse. In my experience many guys I see moving and installing this stuff are unqualified.

My brother was on a job some years ago when the laborer took a big piece of gear off of a flat bed trailer with a forklift and it tipped over and killed the foreman right in front of everybody.

Our gear supplier has a truck with an extra heavy duty lift gate.
Click to expand...

WOW..that is extremely sad!!!
 
To answer the first part of your question, experience tells me that you will get this in 4 shipping splits: 1) the incomer,2) the transformer, 3) the main and 4) the last two sections of feeders will likely be one block. Shipping splits are usually kept to no more than 72" wide depending on the gear, so for what is likely Switch Board construction, 2 x 36" sections would be the largest.
 
Have set gear with pipes to roll them into place. Have used Unistrut with UHMW to slide it across the floor. Have cut holes in floors to pull them up with chainfalls. Have used cranes, boom trucks, fork lifts, excavators, front end loaders, pallet jacks, ramps, and lots of brute force and a colorful array of words. I think the more colorful the language you use the easier the equipment goes in.

Use your imagination it'll fit on paper right?
 
cdslotz said:
seriously....you've been at this for a while, and you have never had to set switchgear that comes in sections?

How does your shop deal with it? Do you have forklifts, dollys, pinch bars....or do you sub it out to riggers?

Setting switchgear for a commercial electrical contractor is as common as trimming out a receptacle
Click to expand...

+1 on all of that.
how does someone get a contractors license without this level of knowledge?

if you are asking on an internet forum how to set switchgear, hire riggers.
i've set 8 ton transformers with a bottle jack, cribbing, and a roll of fan folded 6 mil polyethylene.

to ask how to set gear with no description of the equipment, no weights involved, and no layout
or physical particulars of the site is asinine. are there pipes stubbed up? that changes things.
is there a housekeeping pad? is there a threshold into the room? post tensioned slab? anchors
or weldments?

tell me what you see in the rear view mirror so i can explain how to parallell park.
 
MstrLucky is an estimator not a contractor or an electrician and although his questions might seem simplistic to some he's here trying to learn. Some of us can throw around switchgear all day, some others don't even know what a Johnson bar or a toe jack is. No matter how you slice it we're all here to share knowledge and ideas.
 
Fulthrotl said:
+1 on all of that.
how does someone get a contractors license without this level of knowledge?

if you are asking on an internet forum how to set switchgear, hire riggers.
i've set 8 ton transformers with a bottle jack, cribbing, and a roll of fan folded 6 mil polyethylene.

to ask how to set gear with no description of the equipment, no weights involved, and no layout
or physical particulars of the site is asinine. are there pipes stubbed up? that changes things.
is there a housekeeping pad? is there a threshold into the room? post tensioned slab? anchors
or weldments?

tell me what you see in the rear view mirror so i can explain how to parallell park.
Click to expand...


There will be pipes stubbed up from underground to grade level where gear will be set on pad. I understand where your coming from looking at my question. I ask on here to try and get more particulars and you guys are very knowledgeable . I ask in my office and the PM or another estimator" will give a vague answer "ah...just figure this many hours...we will figure it out when we get the job.
 
AKElectrician said:
Have set gear with pipes to roll them into place. Have used Unistrut with UHMW to slide it across the floor. Have cut holes in floors to pull them up with chainfalls. Have used cranes, boom trucks, fork lifts, excavators, front end loaders, pallet jacks, ramps, and lots of brute force and a colorful array of words. I think the more colorful the language you use the easier the equipment goes in.

Use your imagination it'll fit on paper right?
Click to expand...

Ty
 
infinity said:
No matter how you slice it we're all here to share knowledge and ideas.
Click to expand...

Well said.:thumbsup:

I cannot count the times new ideas/set ups/installations that I have encountered here that were alien/ new/ different to my experiences.

Corner Grounded Delta always comes to mind.

Know what it is now, yes and can talk about such. Actually seen it or installed one, nope.
 
Always trying to invest in myself..
I'm not always surrounded by knowledgeable people who've actually done the installation end. I've learned a tremendous amount here over the years. TY

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
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