[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":110},["ShallowReactive",2],{"copy:\u002Fcrating\u002Ftransformers":3},{"path":4,"h1":5,"metaDescription":6,"kicker":7,"lede":8,"panel":9,"spec":22,"drawing":45,"photo":46,"sections":47,"faqs":89,"related":102,"sources":109},"\u002Fcrating\u002Ftransformers","Crating transformers","Skid-base crates for oil-filled and dry-type transformers: bushing and radiator guards, bolt-down plates, impact recorders and sling-point marking.","Load: transformers","A transformer travels in a skid-base crate with the tank bolted to the skid, bushings and radiators guarded or removed, and an impact recorder on the load. Oil-filled units and dry-type units are packed differently, so tell us which you have before we draw the crate.",[10,13,16,19],[11,12],"Best crate","Skid-base with top frame",[14,15],"Fixed by","Bolt-down plates and chocks",[17,18],"Remove or guard","Bushings, radiators, gauges",[20,21],"Record","Impact recorder on the tank",{"rows":23},[24,27,30,33,36,39,42],[25,26],"Type","Oil-filled, dry-type or pad-mount",[28,29],"Inside dimensions","L x W x H with bushings and radiators fitted",[31,32],"Gross weight","Unit, oil if shipped filled, plus crate",[34,35],"Base","Heavy skid with cross bearers under the tank feet",[37,38],"Hold-down","Bolt-down plates, welded chocks or lag bolts",[40,41],"Instruments","Impact recorder and tip indicator",[43,44],"Destination","Country, for lumber stamping","skid-base",null,[48,54,59,70,75,80,84],{"h2":49,"paragraphs":50},"Oil-filled and dry-type: two packing problems",[51,52,53],"An oil-filled transformer is a sealed steel tank holding the core, windings and insulating oil. It is dense, it hangs its weight low, and its weak points stick out of it: porcelain or polymer bushings on the cover, radiator fins on the sides, gauges and valves. A dry-type unit has no oil but is fragile in a different way, with exposed coils and an enclosure that is thin compared with a tank.","We ask first whether the unit ships filled, partly filled or drained, and whether the maker supplies shipping braces. The answer decides the base, the gross weight and whether the load falls under dangerous goods rules.","Receiving crews should know the first thing to check on arrival: the impact recorder chart, the tilt indicator, the bushing guards and any oil on the skid. Photograph the crate before it is opened. If the unit ships filled, look for seepage at gaskets and valves before moving it, and keep the paperwork that came with the crate.",{"h2":55,"paragraphs":56},"Fixing the tank to the skid",[57,58],"Most tanks have base channels or jacking pads, and some carry welded shipping lugs. We use those. A bolt-down plate goes over each lug and is lag bolted into the skid, or the tank base is chocked with hardwood blocks that are themselves bolted down. The point is to stop any slide or rock of the tank, because a heavy mass loose on the skid will break the crate before it breaks the tank.","Where the tank base is plain flat steel with nothing to bolt to, the maker's shipping instructions come first. Never weld to a tank cover or wall at the dock to make a hold-down; call the maker.",{"h2":60,"paragraphs":61,"list":64},"Bushings, radiators and gauges",[62,63],"Bushings are the part most often broken. Where the maker allows it, they come off and are packed in foam-lined boxes inside the crate, with their mating faces covered. Where they stay on, each gets a rigid wood guard fixed to the skid frame, with clearance all round so a jolt cannot transmit through to the porcelain.","Radiators are either detached and strapped flat in the crate or left on and braced with timber against the tank wall. Fit blanking plates to open flanges, and wrap the oil gauge, pressure relief device and tap changer handle in padding. Nothing inside the crate should touch those parts.",[65,66,67,68,69],"Bushings removed and boxed, or guarded on the frame","Radiator flanges blanked, fins protected","Gauges, relief devices and tap changer padded","Cable boxes closed and sealed","Loose hardware bagged and tied to the unit",{"h2":71,"paragraphs":72},"Shock, tilt and moisture control",[73,74],"An impact recorder mounted on the tank logs the hits it takes in transit, and a tilt indicator on the crate shows if it was laid over. Both give the receiver evidence before the unit is energised. See the [tip and impact indicators guide](\u002Fguides\u002Ftip-and-impact-indicators) for how each reads.","Dry-type units and the open parts of oil-filled ones are enemies of humidity. We seal the unit in a barrier bag with desiccant sized to the enclosed air, and use VCI on bare metal. A unit bound for ocean freight also gets a sheathed lid so rain and spray cannot reach the bag.",{"h2":76,"paragraphs":77},"Lifting, weight and orientation",[78,79],"A transformer is heavy for its size, and its centre of gravity is not where it looks. We mark the centre-of-gravity on the tank and on two sides of the crate, and mark the sling points to match the unit's own lifting lugs. Forks go under the skid only on the sides we mark for fork entry.","Upright is the only orientation for a filled unit. The crate carries this-way-up arrows on every side, in ISO 780 form, and a keep-dry symbol on the lid. The [crate markings guide](\u002Fguides\u002Fcrate-markings) shows the layout.",{"h2":81,"paragraphs":82},"Matching the crate to the route",[83],"The [skid-base crate](\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fskid-base) suits most transformers because the weight is carried on the skid, not on the walls. For long ocean legs we add sheathing. A very large power transformer is often moved on a special trailer without a crate; for the distribution and small power units that do go in crates, send us the dimensions and we will tell you what the skid needs.",{"h2":85,"paragraphs":86},"Dry-type units, pad-mount units and small power",[87,88],"Not every transformer is a big oil-filled tank. A dry-type unit has an enclosure with louvres that must be covered, and its core and coils are often exposed through them. A pad-mount unit has a compartment door that is padlocked for shipping. We add a plywood shield over the louvres and tape nothing to painted surfaces.","If a unit is going on a ship, we also check the lifting lugs, make sure the crate does not block them and add the lug locations to the marks on the crate wall.",[90,93,96,99],{"q":91,"a":92},"Can an oil-filled transformer be crated with the oil in it?","Often yes, if the maker's instructions allow it, but the gross weight and any dangerous goods paperwork change. Tell us how it ships when you ask for a quote.",{"q":94,"a":95},"Do bushings have to come off?","Follow the maker. If they stay on, we build rigid guards around them; if they come off, we pack them in padded boxes inside the crate.",{"q":97,"a":98},"What is an impact recorder for?","It logs shocks the transformer took in transit. If the receiver sees a hit above the limit, they can open an inspection before energising the unit.",{"q":100,"a":101},"What do you need to build the crate?","Inside dimensions L x W x H in inches, gross weight in pounds, destination country, quantity, and the date you need it.",[103,104,105,106,107,108],"\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fskid-base","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fsheathed","\u002Fcrating\u002Fcontrol-panels","\u002Fcrating\u002Fgenerators","\u002Fguides\u002Ftip-and-impact-indicators","\u002Fguides\u002Fcrate-markings",[],1794178337284]