Link-Belt 238 HSL Lattice Boom Crawler Crane Builds Bridges In Virginia

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Infrastructure contractor i+iconSOUTHEAST rented the Link-Belt 238 HSL from dealer Link-Belt Mid-Atlantic to assist with bridge projects for the Virginia Department of Transportation. (Photo courtesy of Link-Belt.)

A 150-ton (136-metric-ton) Link-Belt 238 HSL crane has been helping to replace bridges on the Blackwater River near Wakefield, Virginia. Infrastructure contractor i+iconSOUTHEAST of Virginia Beach rented the lattice boom crawler crane from dealer Link-Belt Mid-Atlantic to assist with the bridge projects for the state Department of Transportation.

“My brothers and I have been in the same industry for many years, and we have always been Link-Belt crane people,” says i+iconSOUTHEAST General Superintendent Delbert Owens. “Every company I’ve worked for in this industry uses Link-Belts. They’re a proven commodity to me, and so is the local dealer.”

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A 150-ton Link-Belt 238 HSL lattice boom crawler crane has been helping to replace bridges on the Blackwater River near Wakefield, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Link-Belt.)

Raze & Rebuild

In one bridge job, the contractor used the Link-Belt 238 HSL to demolish the old bridge, drive piles for the new one, and lay new structural beams across the six spans. The crane worked from a temporary trestle about 300 feet (91.4 meters) long built next to the old bridge. The worksite was only about 75 feet wide, according to the operator, i+iconSOUTHEAST’s Justin Burgess.

The 20-square-inch (129-square-centimeter) concrete piles were up to 80 feet (24.4 meters) in length, and Burgess used the 238 HSL to drive them into their pilot holes with a 26,000-pound (11,790-kilogram) diesel hammer. Next, the Link-Belt picked up 33,000-pound (14,970-kilogram) beams at an 80-foot radius and set them down on the trestle after slewing 160 degrees. The crane then performed concrete bucket tasks, built pier cap rebar cages, and moved prefabricated formwork to finish making the bridge’s pier caps.

Finally, the crane laid six 45-foot (13.7-meter) long prefab slabs across each span of the bridge. The solid outer slabs were the heaviest at 48,000 pounds (21,770 kilograms), while the hollow inner slabs were substantially lighter at 36,000 pounds (16,330 kilograms).

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The Link-Belt drove piles up to 80 feet long using a 26,000-pound diesel hammer. (Photo courtesy of Link-Belt.)

Crane Specs

The Link-Belt 238 HSL has a four-section, full-power, box boom that can extend from 50 to 260 feet (15.2 to 79.2 meters). Maximum tip height with a fixed jib is 308 feet (94 meters). Its 30- to 80-foot (9.1- to 24.4-meter) fixed jibs can be offset to 5, 15, and 25 degrees.

Cummins QSB 6.7-liter engines with 270 and 215 respective horsepower (201 and 160 kilowatts) power the crane’s functions. The machine has a working weight of nearly 263,000 pounds (119.3 metric tons).

Source: Link-Belt

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