Pontoon width normally exceeds legal road width. Above the smaller classes, machines travel dismantled — and that has consequences that need planning at specification stage rather than at delivery.
What dismantled transport involves
Pontoons separate from the upper structure and travel as separate loads. That means multiple vehicles, crane time at the loading point, crane time at site, and reassembly and commissioning before the machine earns anything.
Where it goes wrong
- No crane access at site. Discovered on the delivery date, this is expensive. Confirm crane access to the assembly point, and ground bearing capacity for the crane itself, early.
- Assembly point too far from water. The machine must reach its working area under its own power after assembly. Over soft ground that route needs checking.
- Route restrictions. Bridge weight limits and width restrictions on the final approach are frequently the binding constraint.
- Demobilisation forgotten. The machine has to come out again, sometimes from a site that has changed considerably since it went in.
How it affects specification
On constrained sites, transport can legitimately override productivity in choosing a machine class. A smaller machine that arrives in one piece and starts work the same day may deliver more over a short contract than a larger one that takes a week to assemble.
Plan it early
Transport and assembly should be part of the first specification conversation. Treated as a delivery detail, it becomes the thing that delays the project.