How not to haul an Excavator…..

[John C.]

There was a similar mishap but he bridge came down and dropped the dozer and lowboy in the little Naches river in 1979.
It is on this list here but no cause is listed. I know the cause.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Washington_state_bridge_failures

I remember that accident and saw the truck and the dozer in the river that was nearly dry. It was a little longer ride to get home that day.

 

[skyking1]

Yes, at that time the Old River road was still open and you could go across the bridge just west of the accident, across the American River. Then you could run along the river about 6 or 7 mi and get across at the bridge to Boulder cave and camp Rogenunda. That was the detour they set up but the river has washed away that road not far downstream. There's power poles and you can still walk through there but no roadway.

 

[cfherrman]

This happened in my town awhile back. Driver was lost and off route. There was a bypass around hays and thought he missed the turn, which was only 100' after getting on interstate, and was hopping on interstate to get back on the highway.


http://c141heaven.info/dotcom/jokes/truck_bridge.html

 

[cuttin edge]

We have 3 145 Linkbelts. All identical spin ace, blades on front. One is a long stick. The guy that moves the gear around for my prep crew, is sometimes called to make a move if I don't need him to haul away, or bring me material. He's great at moving stuff, no screwing around, and he gets it done. He drives a tandem Freightshaker with a 3 axle tag along float. He has moved all 3 machines many times. This time he was taking it across this bridge.

He was coming from the other side. Again he had moved the 2 other machines over this bridge many times. Make sure the boom is tucked town tight, no issues. The long stick will go low, but only if you put the blade towards the front of the trailer, and the bucket has a bit more room to go between your tracks. When I say long stick I mean a bit longer than the other 2. Anyway, the old back scratcher got torn down, and a few hydraulic lines got torn off. A month later, one of the owners stopped by on our job to show him the sticker they bought to remind truckers that this machine had the longer stick. Just to rub a bit of salt in the wounded pride.

 

[alco]

Darn, I sure wish the picture on the front page of a local paper was on the net. Back in the mid 90's a new Cat D10 was stuck almost vertically under a bridge on the Yellowhead trail a little West of Edmonton. A coal power plant had purchased 4 new D10's. 3 were delivered without any issues. Somebody wasn't paying attention on the 4th one. The ripper shank was installed upside down and they forgot to lower the ripper after loading the Cat on the trailer. The ripper caught the bridge and D10 was a right off. Must have been real fun and a little scary getting it unwedged from under the bridge. Ripped the 5th wheel mount right off the trailer. Driver was in shock. He hit the bridge at about 80kmh (50 mph). Bridge was closed and inspected for structural damage but didn't require complete demolition. I think it might have been a railway bridge but can't remember. Can't forget the pic. though, it was a holy $hit moment.

Funny you would mention that. I worked for the company that bought that D10N, dirt cheap and rebuilt it. It was an awesome machine, and for about 10% of the cost of a new machine. We used parts from some other D10s we had and ended up with what was essentially a brand new machine.

 

[Welder Dave]

They must have bought it for salvage value. Did they have to change the main frame? I remember someone more knowledgeable looking at the pic. and noticing the frame was twisted about a foot.

 

[Willie B]

My son was driving I87 in Eastern Upstate NY a few years when a rough terrain manlift was inching up as he followed. Wasn't time to catch up & warn the driver, so he hung back. Sure enough, It demolished the manlift. I believe the damage to the highway overpass was minor.

 

[alco]

They must have bought it for salvage value. Did they have to change the main frame? I remember someone more knowledgeable looking at the pic. and noticing the frame was twisted about a foot.

Yes sir, the frame, cab, ROPS, and a bunch of other sheet metal were from donor machines. All the powertrain was brand new though.

 

[Welder Dave]

Wow. No damages to the engine from the impact? It would make sense someone who already had D10N's with higher hours would purchase it. Kind of like a certified rebuild except just removing and refitting components in a new chassis. Probably saved around $750K over a new machine.

 

[Willie B]

Legal limit for most highways is 13'6". That said, most structures are well over that high, & truckers take advantage of that. I have seen some underpasses signed to indicate actual clearance. One in particular comes to mind is actual 13' 7" I would be very nervous with a 13'6" load passing under on that one.
As for your backhoe, mine is something just under 12' high in "transport" position. I would not put it on a trailer in that position.

 

[Willie B]

I'm perplexed. The only damage I see to the dipper is minor at the very top few inches. Hit hard enough to bend the boom & tear the house loose from the carrier, I'd expect a good deal more damage to the dipper stick.

 

[Willie B]

George Connors was loved by all who knew him. Unusually tall, with an easy smile, he was the only house mover in the area. Most of his projects were comparable to some you see documented on History Channel. He had state of the art equipment & used it with a level of skill you wouldn't expect from a woodchuck Vermonter.
He once had a LOW budget move. A young couple had bought a little 24' X 48' ranch for $1. It had to be moved.
Well over the legal limit in height, 3 times the legal in width, they moved in the middle of the night. Avoiding the main roads, they did it over a series of dirt roads. They built a little deck on the roof to safely stand on. George up top with chain saw, & a few other tools, his son driving, they travelled 25 miles in darkness.
The back roads minimized the overhead wires, eliminated the underpasses, mostly tree branches to worry about & none of them big at center of road.

 

[cfherrman]

Sil bought a wardcraft home built in clay center ks and it was transported a couple hours west. The 2-3 hr drive by car was 2 days by 28' wide house. I'm pretty sure that company knows every dirt road without overhead wires in the state.