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Your First Stop for Piledriving Technology News

An APE King Kong was spotted in Belle Chasse Louisiana, off Walker Road with GIC (Gulf Inter Coastal). The construction site was a joint venture with Kiewit and Traylor Brothers Construction. The King Kong (APE 400 Vibratory Driver Extractor) made quick work of pulling the 54” caissons. Each pile was 140 feet, they were part of a temporary cofferdam for the construction of the largest pumping station New Orleans. Removing the piles is no easy task but the King Kong pulled them like a champ!

If you want to do your best to protect our salmon or other marine life while driving pile, why not choose a vibratory hammer to drive that next underwater pile? With such an emphasis on the environment these days, a recent definitive study commissioned last year by Caltrans on the issue of the effects of pile driving on marine life lists vibrating pile as the best pile driving method to protect Sea Life. In section 2.5 titled: Common Underwater Sound Reduction Measures, vibration of pile is listed as a preferred method to reduce sound in underwater pile driving compared to other pile driving methods. Evidence suggests it is the safest method for wildlife and the only method not to reach the dangerous 183db level. Attached is the entire report which is a must read for all you contractors driving underwater pile. There is also a ton of material about how to best handle underwater noise issues when driving any kind of pile with most types of hammers.

APE’s law suit against New England Construction Products for patent infringement of its vibratory pile driver/extractor technology has been settled. “This is one down, eight to go” says John White, President and owner of APE. We still have HPSI, Conmaco, Pile Equipment, J&G Sales, Geoquip, Bay Machinery and ECA and one other supplier yet to be named.

APE settled with New England Construction Products and the terms of the settlement are satisfactory to APE and confidential. Details of the case are a matter of public record.

Notice of Electronic Filing

The following transaction was entered on 10/8/2009 at 2:24 PM EDT and filed on 10/8/2009

Case Name:
American Piledriving Equipment, Inc. v. New England Construction Products, LLC

Case Number:
1:08-cv-11090

Filer:

WARNING: CASE CLOSED on 06/03/2009

Document Number:
41

Docket Text:
Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered.

APE Mid-Atlantic is located right in the middle of one of our largest Naval facilities- “Norfolk Naval Station”, Virginia. It’s no surprise when the Navy Sea-Bee’s wanted to update their inventory of piledriving equipment several years ago they went APE. APE is the only company in this business that offers classes on pile driving as well as equipment maintenance and upkeep. Ask your current equipment supplier if they will teach you how to work on your equipment- if the answer is no you better start dealing with APE. APE Mid-Atlantic had a class on diesel hammers for the Sea-Bee’s and let them bring both of their new D19-42 hammers to our shop and taught them to completely disassemble both of them. This covered removing the piston, ram, anvil, and all of the lower end components and also taught them fuel & lube pump trouble shooting as well as rebuilding both. Shop Foreman Chuck Frain taught the class and had them assemble both hammers and run them in our test stand. This training is priceless to our military boys, being they never know where they will be using this equipment. Thanks again US Navy for choosing the best equipment & company, APE ! GO APE. Contact your nearest APE branch for upcomming schools & classes.

MASSIVE FAILURES OF OUR COMPETITION’S MACHINES PROMPTS APE BUILD UP IN UAE

APE Austria has begun a massive shipment of new APE Model 200 vibratory pile driver/extractors to the UAE. This is in response to recent electronic and overheating of our competition’s so-called new units in hot weather conditions. APE machines are will known for their simplicity and ability to handle both the hot Saudi Arabian sun and the cold of Alaska. The secret is our unique kidney loop cooling circuit which can be reversed in cold weather.

APE units come with massive heat exchangers and a special kidney loop oil cooling system that keeps the machine running even in 125 degree temperatures. APE developed a simple electrical system to mate with the advanced Tier III CAT engines. We avoided adding fancy touch screen panels that are subject to code failures that shut the unit down and require re-programming to get started again. APE machines are simple yet advanced. Our hydraulic gauges are old school simple yet our CAT Electronics are fuel efficient.

Our power units feature a built-in spare hydraulic tank, CAT Tier III engine, Super Heavy Duty radiator and oil cooler, kidney loop oil system, all stainless steel control panels, tachometer in the remote pendant (found only on APE machines) tool box with spare jaws and hoses and tools to do all the maintenance work and a 5 year warranty.

The APE 200 has the world’s greatest lifting capacity, heavy metal eccentrics, helical gears, one piece gear/eccentric, giant spherical double roller bearings, patented two stage suppressor, 0-ring seals on all parts for ready operation under water, clamps with nylotron lined slides and one piece cylinders and larger jaws for excellent gripping ability.

The APE 200 is the world’s most demanded vibratory pile driver due to its many patented features.

Steve Gough, Managing Director for APE International Sales, helps introduce the “Fat Man 220” the largest diesel hammer in the world to a contractor’s party held in Shanghai, China. The D220 (Fat Man) operated flawlessly while all the major Chinese pile contractors cheered. This was a historical moment for Steve Gough and for APE and SEMW. The D220 was sold to China Oil. Steve kissed the Fat Man D220 to give it good luck on its first job. The D220 has a twenty-two metric ton ram and is designed to replace large troublesome hydraulic hammers. The D220’s smaller brother, the D180 is currently driving piles for the new San Francisco Bay Bridge and another D180 just finished the piles for the Pitt River Bridge in Vancouver BC- Two of the largest pile jobs in the world. Thanks to Mr. Wong and Mr. Gong for innovations that have changed the world of pile driving forever.

An APE Model D36 drives pipe piles for a new oil platform in the Caspian Sea. The jobsite is in Turkmenistan. APE diesels are ISO 9002 and incorporate new technology not available anywhere else. For more details call APE at 253-872-0141 USA

Project site: Fujian Province, China

Equipment: APE model 200 vibro

Applications: Underground Retaining Wall for high rise building construction

Technology: Xie’s Patented Barrel Pile Technology

Pile information:

• O.D. 1500 (59 inches)
• I.D. 1100 (43 inches)
• Wall thickness: 200 mm (8 inches)

Length: 16 meter – 17 meter (56 feet)

Number of Piles: 200

Comment: Revolutionary Pile driving technology for soft soil foundations. The pile quality is comparable to driven cylinder piles.

Karl Pacik, shown here enjoying his summer holiday is doing what typical Europeans do in the summertime…go on holiday and tell we Americans to “get along without me for a month”. Well APE managed without Karl for a full month. Karl, get back to work! (you look fantastic on that bike)

Sincerely,

John L. White
President, APE/J&M

Note: Photo was used without permission

Attached the first photo of our vibro in Turkmenistan:

An APE200 with single clamps as well as with casing beam and two casing clamps is driving steel pipe piles, box piles and sheet piles of 23 m length at a new gas loading jetty project in Kianli, Turkmenistan