I check that site regularly. Some of what you see there will make you absolutely shudder to think about shipping anything. I have posted links to that site before on this board. I love the one where the forklift is lifting the forklift lifting the load. My next favorite is the stealth fighter foto.
The saddest part, aside from the cost of the transformer, is that the lead time on it was probably in excess of 6 months! Now that entire project has just had a major setback.
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I thought it might be longer but it's been a while since I ordered one. I just figured 6 months was a safe bet. I'm working on a 4MW project right now. I wonder if the end user realizes this? They have been stalling on making their final decision to go ahead.
JRaef.com "Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems." Scott Adams
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> faq731-376
Electrical-grade core steel is also in very short supply. If anyone has any old transformers in the bone yard, this would be an excellent time to sell them for scrap.
There is some commentary on that site about what went wrong. I don't think they have it right. Here's what I think. The transformer was loaded toward the back of the lowboy. The lowboy had to make a sharp turn up and to the left to turn from the ramp onto the road as you can see looking at the last picture. With the front left wheel riding up at the beginning of that turn, the weight of the transformer tilting back and to the left was too much. At least that's my vote. (did you guys vote today?)
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Here's what I think. The transformer was loaded toward the back of the lowboy. The lowboy had to make a sharp turn up and to the left to turn from the ramp onto the road as you can see looking at the last picture. With the front left wheel riding up at the beginning of that turn, the weight of the transformer tilting back and to the right was too much. At least that's my vote. (did you guys vote today?)
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It looks to me like the tug and barge were fairly well aligned with the road in the first picture, but swung out into the river as the weight came off the barge. Witness the angle between the barge and the ramp in the first and third pictures.
That may not be causative. It appears the forward corners of the barge were belayed tight. If those hawsers were not let off equally as the barge became unweighted, well it could have gone wrong in a lot of ways.
The lines may have been tight to begin with, but the prop thrust (see 1st picture) continued to beach the barge as it became un-weighted, so the lines became slack. Skipper throttles back to stop the movement, and unsecured barge and tug are free to move in the river current. Sowers has the right idea.
As to the long lead times, isn't that why they bought a spare?
