Knutson Diesel improvises to get the job done.
Reported From: APE Headquarters (WA)
Gene Cole with Knutson Diesel needed a piledriving leader system and hammer that could be cost effective for a small number of piles they needed to install at a Coos Bay Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Having only two available lines on his crane and the cost of a fixed leader not in the budget, two pendant lines from the crane boom to the top of a mid section of lead priced out just right. This freed up the lines to allow for a hammer and pile line.
A drag line was used to control the leads for pile splicing. By retracting the bottom of the leads, the need to lay down the leads to pick up and process the pile was eliminated.
Hammer: APE D12-42 with a standard throttle and small pipe insert.
Pile: minimum 65’x12 3/4″ x .375-wall conical tipped pipe pile for minimum 35 ton bearing.
