Alliedbean Demolition, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was recently commissioned to tear down ten 400-ton (362 t) steel plate storage tanks at the Port Everglades seaport near the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Each tank was used to store more than 1 million gal. (3.7 million L) of molasses, but have been abandoned for the last several years. The tank’s structure was made up of steel plate that varies from 3/16 to 1-1/8 in. (.5 to 2.8 cm) thick.

Company Wrench provided the shear and machine for the project.

“We are using a Kobelco SK260 excavator with a LaBounty MSD2250R, which is one of LaBounty’s latest models of mobile shears. The shear enables the operator to have a more powerful attachment on a smaller machine,” said Kevin Bean, Alliedbean president.

The cutting force of the MSD2250R is comparable to the MSD2500R but can be used with smaller 55,000 lbs. (24,947.5 kg) weight class excavators to save on fuel, operating and freight costs. Alliedbean had rented the SK260 for a different project that recently ended so it simply transported the carrier to the Port Everglades demolition site and changed the attachment. Beyond the SK260, a Komatsu PC200LC with a LaBounty HDR grapple was used to load the trucks.

Bringing each tank structure down seemed very simple following the method they used. The company prepared the structure by making vertical cuts in the side every 50 ft. (15.2 m) with a cutting welder, then used the MSD2250R to pierce a horizontal cut 2 ft. (.6 m) from the top and peel each section down. Once enough sections of the wall are removed, the roof’s weight overbore the interior I-beams and crashed the structure to the ground to be processed and hauled off-site.

“Once the roof is brought down to the ground, we then start processing the material and preparing it to be hauled out on eighteen 100-yard flatbed trucks to the Port of Re-Entry for export,” said Bean.

“We are processing and shipping out one tank each week so we will be here for a 10 week duration. At this point we’ve commenced operation on tank number four and are right on schedule. The 2250R has done a very good job considering the capacity of the excavator; it certainly does pierce to its specification and is able to save costs on fuel.”

Alliedbean’s approach has proven very efficient, as the company has been able to reduce the project’s timeframe and increased bottom line profits. Beyond the occasional truck driver arriving to haul away the material, only three workers were needed to complete the project: a welder, a grapple operator and the shear operator. Instead of removing the roof and working downward along the walls, the forethought to make vertical relief weld cuts and removing the wall a section at a time to collapse the roof greatly decreased the timeline for the project. By choosing the LaBounty MSD2250R shear, the company had the power to do the job while saving substantial costs by burning less fuel with a smaller excavator.

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