HEAVY LIFTING
How Sarens climbing systems make visionary projects possible Decades ago, Sarens began developing jacking solutions to lift heavy loads like bridge segments from below. That tradition continues to this day, and Sarens still custom designs climbing systems completely in-house. To look out at a 3000-ton bridge or a 12,200-ton offshore module is to behold the astonishing scope and spirit of human innovation: structures that were once inconceivable are now increasingly common. But behind every visionary project that inspires our awe is a fundamental question: how is that possible? We can design massive bridges, but how do we lift them into place? We can envision enormous structures, but how do we install them? We can draft plans for almost anything, but how do we put them into action? At Sarens, these questions drive us. With generations of heavy lifting experience and a fleet of worldclass equipment, we seek to answer them every day. Our work helps clients make their visions a reality, whether they need to lift an enormous bridge or an entire offshore housing unit. And when cranes aren’t a viable choice due to limited space or site access, our climbing systems often provide
the optimal solution. Original solutions Decades ago, Sarens began developing jacking solutions to lift heavy loads like bridge segments from below. That tradition continues to this day, and Sarens still custom designs climbing systems completely inhouse. The first Sarens jacking system was the CS600/CS450, which was built in the 1990s. It can lift to 450 tons on the jacks, and has a 600-ton standstill capacity on the tower. The CS250 soon followed in 2003, featuring a 250-ton lifting capacity per tower. Dubbed “climbing systems,” the CS600 and CS250 reflected Sarens’ design philosophy at the time: each system featured a single jack that would “climb” the tower as its height increased. This approach allowed the jacking capacity to remain constant during operation because the jack was always positioned below the client load. These original climbing systems
are still in operation today. Most recently, the CS600 jacked down a 950-ton bowstring bridge in France, despite sloping terrain and tight working conditions. “Each piece of equipment was carefully selected for this project, especially the CS600 jacking system, which met the specific requirements of being compact yet fast enough,” project manager Tom Jonckers explained. The CS250 has also accomplished exceptional feats, including for the Darlington Bridge project in Adelaide, which required jacking several 3000-ton bridge sections. Sarens used SPMTs and eight CS250 jacking towers to create a solution that may well have been a first for Australian civil construction. Tim Devoldere, operations manager for Sarens Australia, explains why it was so effective: “Imagine four people carrying a log on their shoulders. When going through a dip, the people in the middle will have to raise their arms to keep supporting the log. If the dip becomes too deep, their arms might not be long enough. That’s