What do nuclear reactors, steam turbine generators, and power transformers all have in common?
They weigh more than 1,000,000 pounds, and they were all included in the top 5 largest loads ever moved.
To move loads weighing more than a Boeing 747 requires more than careful driving. Moving superheavy loads can be the project of a lifetime for some, requiring years of preparation.
Here are the top 5 largest loads ever moved… and how they did it.
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“Levitated Mass” Boulder (2012, California, USA)
Why would anyone need to move a 340-ton boulder over 100 miles?
Art.
After renowned artist Michael Heizer deemed a monolithic boulder in Southern California integral to his artistic display, a crew was assembled to move the rock over 100 miles to Los Angeles.
A trailer with over 44 axles was used to make the journey, supporting more than 1,000,000 pounds. An entourage of 60 people attended the rock on its path, often moving silently in the late hours of the night.
Michael Govan, the museum director that would receive the rock, observed, “It’s funny, the Egyptians didn’t have rubber wheels and diesel trucks to move things. But they also didn’t have 22 cities through which they had to move their stones”.
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BPA Substation Transformer (2018, Washington, USA)
In November of 2018, engineers and drivers held their breath as nearly 1,000,000 pounds lumbered through Washington highways. A similar load had recently caused a bridge to collapse, causing anxiety for operators and onlookers.
The load was a gargantuan transformer for wind turbines. Because the weight was so densely packed, a custom, 48-axle trailer was pushed and pulled by three Kenworth heavy-duty tractors. The trailer spanned over 360 feet.
To accommodate the staggering size of the convoy, crews had to widen corners and build new roadbends. After moving 47 miles at 5 miles per hour, the load arrived at its destination two days later.
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Power Transformer (2013, England, UK)
9 months of planning. Over 1,408,000 pounds. No night-moves allowed.
The cargo? A power transformer. Not Optimus Prime, but the move was just as heroic.
Because the United Kingdom prohibited night moves for loads of this nature for safety reasons, full road closures came at the expense of the 20-team escort. The shipment never exceeded 10 miles per hour.
When police escorts, total stops to traffic flow, and the trailer’s manufacturing costs were accounted for, this load went down in history as one of the most expensive moves in UK history.
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Steam Turbine Generator (2010, Texas, USA)
Everything’s bigger in Texas. And this was the largest thing ever moved in Texas.
Take a load as long as a football field, as wide as two giraffes, and weighing more than twice an airplane, and you can begin to understand the gravity of this steam turbine generator haul.
A trailer with 260 axles was created to put this project on wheels. Four Kenworth trucks propelled the load forward. The load traveled 250 miles to its destination.
Along the highway, all low-hanging signs and trees were removed to welcome this industrial giant. As the turbine passed over bridges, supportive reinforcements still shifted under the weight.
Miraculously, the generator arrived at its destination 25 days later.
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Nuclear Reactor Vessel (1972, Tennessee, USA)
As 2,000,000 pounds of steel pressed onto three hundred wheels, the very road beneath them began to crack and buckle. Two years of planning groaned forward, making its way down roads carved just for this move.
To accommodate the behemoth, a complicated, modular trailer assembly was devised. The trailer’s axles were all independently steerable to reduce strain, enabling grades up to 10% to be traversed. Once on the highway, the convoy spanned two miles.
After an overland journey spanning dozens of miles across land and sea, the reactor was finally stationed in its final resting place in Phipps Bend, Tennessee.
The burden of a successful haul, and a manageable fuel bill, rests on your commitment to safety… and great trailer tires. If you need premium, tier-one trailer tires at the lowest possible price, click here to get the best Michelin trailer tires through England Carrier Services.
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