Coates Hire  hydraulic jacking equipment was recently used to lift up the Merrylands Railway overpass bridge, propping it up for several weeks as the bridge’s bearings were replaced.  

The railway overpass bridge connecting Neil and Mombri streets in Merrylands supports thousands of cars every day. When it became necessary to replace the support bearings of the bridge, Coates Hire was appointed by RailCorp to supply hydraulic jacking equipment and cylinders for the lift as well as to develop a unique propping solution to complement the cylinders.  

Product specialists Michael Broome and Steve Veld had an initial meeting with RailCorp for the supply of cylinders only. The clients intention was to weld a frame together with structural steel and then proceed to jack off that platform.  

Coates Hire suggested an engineered solution that would utilise the Coates Hire 60 propping system combined with the range of Enerpac hydraulic cylinders.  

A Coates Hire pivot-arm hoist and scaffold attachment was selected to transport the gear up the side of the tower.  

Enerpac RC1006 hydraulic cylinders were utilised at 8 lifting points to take the load off the bearings and slightly lift the bridge up. At this stage the props were extended to support the load of 14 tonnes at each point.  

Once the preparation of the new headstock was complete, the new bearings were safely installed as the propping secured the bridge.