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Your First Stop for Piledriving Technology News

Tara Group was awarded the “Knotts Island” bridge replacement at the middle of 2006. Owner Charlie Andrews knew it would be a challenging project due to the conditions and location. Another challenge was deciding which pile hammer to choose for the job, it wasn’t a challenge, that was a “no brainer” Charlie said. They went APE for the second time! Tara group purchased a brand new APE D19-42 hammer and a set of leads in the beginning of 2006 and with it’s flawless performance we’d be crazy to consider anything else. Tara group has just purchased a brand new APE D-30 and another set of leads. The Tara Group has just began driving their test piles that are 24″ coated pipe piles, and needless to say it’s been an interesting start. APE / J&M wish Charlie & the Tara Group a safe and productive project. Contact your nearest APE / J&M branch to see how we can help you with current, or upcoming projects…..GO APE!

American Piledriving Equipment, in conjunction with Thomas & Betts and Erickson Air Crane, recently completed a day long demonstration for the ASCE Exhibition in Birmingham, Alabama of a model Patented Heli-template System designed and developed by APE. The demo took place in Birmington, Alabama. Stormy weather during the demonstration offered the perfect environment to showcase versatile reliability the APE Heli-template offers. The system was demonstrated 3 times during the day for over 130 observers at a time.

The process starts with the mobilization of the crane pads. The heli-template is then placed on the mats for caisson placement. The caisson is brought in and loaded into the heli-template. While the helicopter is bringing in the driver/extractor, the heli-template plumbs the caisson for driving. The caisson is then driven to grade.

APE’s Special Application Team can help your next job. Contact any of APE’s satellite locations to see what we can do to help your next job.

The U.S. Navy / Seabees do their homework before they purchase anything. They knew they wanted the best piledriving equipment in the industry. That’s why they decided to purchase 2 brand new APE 150 vibratory hammer packages and 2 brand new APE D19-42 diesel hammers. APE Mid-Atlantic held a 1-day piledriving school for the Navy/ SeaBees at “Little Creek” Amfib Base in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We went over basic piledriving history, equipment operations and maintenance for both diesel impact hammers as well as vibratory hammers. it was a great turn out and a great learning experience! It gives APE and APE Mid-Atlantic a great honor to help our boys in uniform!

When “McLean Contracting” began work on the new 98 million dollar Battlefield Blvd. interchange in Chesapeake Virginia they knew there was one area of piledriving that had some of them scratching their heads. This was a very low head room area for the south abutment piles that had high tension power lines over head and a live rail road track below, not your normal field conditions. McLeans project staff contacted APE Mid-Atlantic branch to see what solution we could work out. We all decided that the APE 7.5 low head room hammer mounted in a 20′ section of leads with a stab section on the bottom would do the trick ! Mind you that they had only 40′ of over head clearence, so the 12″ OD pipe piles had to be driven in 12 foot lengths. McLean configured their crane with the least amount of boom as possible and placed and drove the 1st 12′ sections of pile with out a hitch. They have spliced and driven the 2nd sections with no problems what so ever. APE / J&M wishes McLean a safe and productive project. Contact your nearest APE / J&M branch for all of your low head room applications.

“Waterfront Marine” a Virginia Beach VA. based contractor has their work cut out for themselves for the next few months. They have just started driving 1000 – 1,200 14″ & 12″ concrete prestressed piles in the 3rd phase of Virginia Beaches new “Town Center Plaza” This facility will house some of the finest stores, shops, and restaurants in the area. This phase will include some of the most expensive condos and apartments. The picture shows them driving the elevator shaft foundation with their brand new A.P.E. D-19-42 diesel impact hammer. We wish them a safe and productive job!

Marine Contracting found an unexpected surprise while excavating for the installation of a new mooring dolphin at “Metro Machine” shipyard, approx. 50 timber piles! These were all below the mudline of the excavation. The contractor decided to use an APE 150-T vibro to drive a “straw” or a 18″ diameter x 50′ steel pipe over the wood piles to break the friction then pulling it back out and hooking a steel choker to the piles and pulling them out. Project Superintendent “Bobby Thompson” tells us, you never know what you will find when you start digging around these old shipyards. The Navy vessel in the background is the “USS Nashville”, a Marine transport vessle. APE Mid-Atlantic is proud to be part of this project.

APE has introduced a super lightweight vibro to be used with the new J&M wood clamp. The new technology makes it the lightest possible wood pile extractor on the market today. King Evarts invented the new clamp.

Here is a hint as to where this technology is now working- Where did the Wright Brothers test their aircraft?

Call Jimmy Deemer at (757) 373-9328 for details.

As we reported last week, two APE Model D62’s were sent to replace hydraulic impact hammers on Ford Pile’s job in Georgia. A record amount of piles were driven in one day with the APE hammers. The APE diesel’s are ISO 9002 certified and come with a 5 year warranty. No one beats that kind of warranty or quality. Keep watching our website for daily reports.

APE’s Mid-Atlantic branch has shipped an APE D62 to Ford Pile. The D62 just finished driving pipe piles for Corman Construction at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The D62 operated on vegetable diesel fuel.