Replacing two boilers more than 40 years old within an operational facility presented a significant challenge. Restricted access, sensitive surrounding infrastructure and clearances as tight as 5mm left little room for conventional lifting methods, requiring a precise and carefully controlled approach to equipment movement.
Working on the project with Freo WGC, the team needed a way to remove the existing six-tonne boilers and manoeuvre their replacements into position within the confined plant environment. This case study explores how LGH Australia’s Hydra-Slide skidding system provided the controlled, low-profile movement required to complete the critical moves where crane access was not an option.
As part of ongoing upgrade works at an operational treatment facility, two existing boilers that had been in service for more than 40 years needed to be removed and replaced.
The boilers play an important role in the plant’s overall treatment process, making their replacement part of the wider infrastructure upgrades being undertaken at the facility.
Each boiler weighed approximately six tonnes and measured around 2m x 3m. Located within an established plant environment with no crane access available into the boiler room, an alternative method was needed to remove the existing units and manoeuvre their replacements into position.
The challenge was not simply the weight of the boilers, but the combination of restricted access, minimal clearance and the condition of the existing equipment.
Each boiler needed to travel just under four metres through the plant, with clearance narrowing to approximately 5mm at the tightest point. This left virtually no tolerance for uncontrolled movement or misalignment.
The floor also introduced an additional complication. Rather than providing a level surface for the move, the area had a noticeable slope, requiring the team to carefully manage the skidding setup throughout the movement.
After more than 40 years of repeated heat cycling, sections of the existing boilers had also softened and began to distort slightly during removal. As the steel twisted, additional packing was required beneath the skidding plates to maintain support and alignment.
Centre of gravity was another important consideration. The load was not balanced evenly along either its length or width, meaning the team had to account for an offset centre of gravity throughout the move.
Installation presented a further constraint: the replacement boilers were approximately 130mm taller than the units being removed, reducing the available working space and requiring a different equipment configuration.
Together, these conditions called for a low-profile system capable of precise horizontal movement, with enough flexibility to adapt as the job progressed.
To overcome the access and clearance restrictions, the team used LGH Australia’s Hydra-Slide system to provide a controlled method of moving the boilers horizontally through the plant.
For removal of the existing boilers, the system was configured using ABX beams with XLP80 hydraulic rams. This provided the low-profile support and controlled movement required to skid each six-tonne boiler out of the confined boiler room and onto a platform outside.
From there, Freo WGC’s 55t crane could lift the boilers clear of the work area.
As the existing boilers were moved, the team continually monitored their position and stability. When the aged steel began to twist under movement, additional packers were introduced beneath the skidding plates to compensate for the distortion and maintain support as the load progressed along the track.
The process was reversed for installation. The replacement boilers were craned onto the platform before being skidded back into the boiler room towards their final installation positions.
With the new boilers approximately 130mm taller than the original units, however, the available clearance was further reduced. Rather than using the same ABX beam configuration, the team utilised the skidding tracks to keep the overall setup as low as possible.
The Hydra-Slide system allowed movement to be carefully controlled throughout the process, while giving the team the flexibility to adapt the configuration between removal and installation as site and load conditions changed.
Both existing boilers were successfully removed and the replacement units manoeuvred into position within the restricted plant environment.
Once each load was prepared and the skidding system was in position, the actual movement of each boiler was completed in under 20 minutes. This involved moving approximately six tonnes just under four metres while negotiating clearances as tight as 5mm.
Adapting the Hydra-Slide configuration between removal and installation also allowed the team to accommodate the additional 130mm height of the replacement boilers.
For a relatively short move, the project demonstrated the level of planning and control required when working within such a limited margin for error.
For LGH Australia, this project demonstrates the value of specialist skidding technology in overcoming the challenges of complex lifting and equipment-moving operations.
As the exclusive Australian rental provider of Hydra-Slide systems, LGH Australia is making this specialist capability available to the local market, giving contractors another option when access or site constraints make conventional lifting methods impractical.
Hydra-Slide Skidding System
Freo WGC brings together extensive crane hire, heavy lifting and logistics capability across Australia. Freo Group was founded in Western Australia in 1974 and has grown to become Australia’s largest crane hire and logistics company, supporting projects across the mining, resources, civil construction and renewable energy sectors. WGC Cranes adds significant lifting capability across Australia’s east coast.
LGH Australia is a specialist lifting and rigging equipment rental provider supporting projects nationwide. From its Somersby, NSW facility, LGH supplies certified lifting, rigging and material handling equipment, supported by in-house testing and certification capabilities and access to the wider global LGH fleet.
