As you read this, four beefy Kenworth rigs are working in teams of two (two pushing, two pulling) to move a massive 186ft, 535,000lb demethanizing tower through Oklahoma to its final resting spot in Colorado. The tower was built in Oklahoma and will work at a gas processing facility in Colorado. A company called Northwest Logistics Heavy Haul got the nod for the job (they have actually moved a twin to this tower before) and they plan on keeping the pace at 30mph (and mostly below) over the course of the trip. When all the trucks, transport trailers/dollies, and rigging are taking into account, the load is 1.1-million pounds and it spans some 400ft from nose to tail. Oklahoma law enforcement officials believe that it is the largest object ever moved through the state. The load is two lanes wide and the trip will take a total of 14 days from start to finish. We’re not sure how nerve wracking this type of a job is on the driver but we’d probably pee a little if we looking into the mirror and saw another truck about a football field away..working on the same load.
The crew has encountered some corners and other planned obstacles and reports seem to indicate that things have gone according to plan in all ways. Multiple Oklahoma news outlets are covering the story and the trucking world has also taken notice of the job that highlights the skills of the planners and the drivers. While the length of this operation is wild even for an experienced company like Northwest, the weight isn’t apparently their bread and butter is 200-500,000lb hauls, so in that respect this is just another day at the office.
The video below is pretty awesome. It shows the huge tower being loaded onto the trailer deal that will be its home for the next couple of weeks. It shows the level of planning and prep that goes into a job like this and in a way it makes us proud. Like we mentioned last week, stuff still gets done here in the USA. With all of the other crap that is happening in the world today, there’s a small glimmer of reason to smile when you see a huge American built object being hauled by American trucks to go assist an American gas processing plant.
This is a great watch and this is one monster of a load!
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THE MASSIVE DEMETHANIZER LOADED AND ROLLING THROUGH OKLAHOMA – HEAVY HAULING BAD ASSERY!
Good to see a crew working so fast…can’t be a gov’t. job. 🙂
Makes me wonder if they couldn’t have legally gotten a 777 CAT without a bed to haul it. Granted a 777’s normal payload is only around 200,000, that 100 tons is with the weight of the bed (which isn’t light) and designed for haul road grades of 10-12%, which is far steeper than what will be encountered on the highway thus freeing up even more power for moving and braking. A 777 is just slightly wider than a single lane of traffic and are regularly hauled on the highway with low-boy’s sans bed and outside rear tires.
It’d be something interesting to see anyways. The hydraulic steering probably is what really makes it a no go on the highway despite the complete highway patrol escort.
I seen this thing first hand Saturday. its absolutely massive and something to be respected. they initially were going to use one truck in front and two behind according to local news but it definitely had four when I seen it. the route is online in several places if you Google it. Broken Arrow, OK – Ft Lumpton, CO