OKLAHOMA GAS & ELECTRIC SERVICES Terramac RT9’s low ground pressure gets crews through all types of terrain with minimal ground disturbance
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or nearly 120 years, To ensure minimal customers have relied on ground disturbance, and Oklahoma Gas & Electric so it can continue working (OG&E®) Services for effectively in wet and muddy power. The oldest and situations, OG&E® acquired a 26,180-pound Terramac RT9 largest investor-owned rubber track carrier (Terramac electric utility in the Sooner is an independent company State — consistently separate from OG&E® and ranked in surveys as one Jimmie Walters, OGE Energy Corp.) from of the highest performing Foreman Transmission Kirby-Smith Machinery utilities in the United Construction, System Inc. with the assistance of States — serves more than Expansion, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Services Territory Manager Josh 850,000 customers across a Lee. Fully loaded, it has a 30,000-square-mile area of ground pressure of 6.4 PSI. Oklahoma and western Arkansas. As part of the OGE Energy Corp., OG&E® takes a balanced approach to generating electricity using natural gas, coal and renewable sources — creating more than 7,000 megawatts of capacity. Miles and miles of transmission lines across varying terrain deliver power to homes and businesses. OG&E® is committed to keeping them in top shape. Many are in rural areas where access and ground conditions can be a challenge.
OG&E® recently put the 225-horsepower unit on a project in northwest Oklahoma where a crew is replacing more than 50 miles of line, as well as replacing old wooden-pole structures with new steel ones for longer life and greater durability. “In many instances, they are located in areas where traditional equipment such as dump trucks or other rubber-tired machines would tear it up considerably or get stuck, so
An Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E®) Services operator moves rock with a Terramac RT9 on a powerline project in northwest Oklahoma. (Terramac is an independent company separate from OG&E® and OGE Energy Corp.) “Even with a full load it will go through soft ground or over the hills we encounter with no issues,” said Jimmie Walters, foreman transmission construction, system expansion. “The alternative would likely have been a backhoe with a small bucket to move rock from the pile to the poles, which would have torn things up and taken far longer to get around. That was not cost-effective. The RT9 is.”
they are not feasible,” said Jimmie Walters, foreman transmission construction, system expansion. “For instance, we may be working in farmers’ fields or on other landowners’ properties. Our goal is as little disturbance as possible, and the RT9 does that.” OG&E®’s RT9 is equipped with a dump bed, so it can haul 6 yards of gravel. The maximum carrying capacity of the machine is 18,000 pounds. “We are currently carrying gravel for backfill,” said Walters. “Even with a full load the RT9 goes through soft ground or over the hills we encounter with no issues. The alternative would likely have been a backhoe with a small bucket to move rock from the pile to the poles, which would have torn things up and taken far longer to get around. That was not cost-effective. The RT9 is.”
Easy operation, transport Walters said he and other operators of the RT9 like the ease of operation. “It’s joystick control, and the dump button is on top of the joystick that drives the unit. The computer screen has all the gauges right there in sight. It’s very user-friendly.” He noted that transportability is an added advantage of the Terramac RT9. At 19 feet 6 inches long and 8 feet 3 inches wide, it is easily moved, according to Walters. “It’s the perfect size,” stated Walters. “We don’t need a permit to haul it, so if we have to load it up quickly — such as for a fast response to a storm in the middle of the night — that’s a great advantage. We’re very pleased with the Terramac, very pleased. It’s just a very good machine and for the
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