donkey doctor
Senior Member
That's the way it was done for a long time. When we started building grapple yarders and loaders they were shipped to Ladysmith by rail and the boom gantry and cab were assembled there. Eventually the E&N wanted to discontinue freight service on the island so pushed there rates up to kill usage and prove they couldn't make money and they could shut it down. At that point we started splitting the upper and lower and sending them down to Duke Point by lowbed and remounting the upper down there. We got pretty good at putting them back together. Pick the carrier off and set it on the ground. Line the second lowbed up with it. lift the upperworks then use the lowbed to pull the carrier under the upper. Set the upper down on carrier and cut one crane loose. Second crane holds back end until we get a half dozen nuts on then he is cut loose. Flash it up ,swing around to add some more nuts while the crane rigs up to pick the gantry. Gantry on, boom is still on flatbed. End of the boom is picked up and machine is walked into it. Pick up other end of boom and get rid of the flatbed. Set the cab and kiss the crane goodbye. Reave a length strawline through the topping blocks and use the pickup to pull the topping line through. then just a matter of finishing up the odds and ends. Torque the slewing ring, chain coupling on the angle drive box and wire and hose the cab. Usually didn't even get any overtime out of it. May have missed a step or two in here but it has been well over 35 years. d.d.