Jacking and skidding for heavy load positioning
When a crane cannot fit or the placement must be exact, jacking and skidding move heavy loads to the millimetre. How hydraulic skid systems lift and slide vessels, transformers and modules.
7 min read · 2026-07-17
Not every heavy load can be craned into place. Inside a building, in a congested plant, or where the final position has to be exact to the millimetre, there is no room to swing a crane and no margin for a hanging load. Jacking and skidding solve that. The load is jacked up on hydraulic cylinders, set onto skid tracks, and slid horizontally into position under precise control. It is how transformers, vessels, bridge sections and industrial modules are installed where a crane cannot reach or cannot place them accurately enough.
This guide covers what jacking and skidding is and how the system works.
Lift, then slide, to the millimetre
Jacking raises the load on hydraulic cylinders; skidding slides it along tracks. Together they place heavy loads in tight spaces with millimetre accuracy, no crane needed.
What jacking and skidding is
It is a hydraulic method for moving heavy loads horizontally on a guided slide, with hydraulic push pull cylinders delivering controlled force to reposition the load precisely. The load is first jacked to the working height, set onto the skid system, then driven along the tracks with low friction and high accuracy. It suits short or long moves within restricted space, exactly where a crane is impractical.
How it works
The system has two main parts: skid shoes that carry the load and skid beams they travel along. A self locking hydraulic propulsion unit pushes the shoes and load along the beams, while operators monitor position, pressure and alignment continuously and make fine adjustments. Synchronous jacking systems can hold the load level across multiple jacks to within about a millimetre, which is what makes precise, stable placement possible.
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic jacks | Raise the load to working height |
| Skid shoes | Carry the load along the beams |
| Skid beams and tracks | Guide the load on its path |
| Push pull units | Drive the load with controlled force |
1 mm
positioning tolerance
500 t
loads handled this way
No crane
works in tight space
Monitored
position and pressure
Running a jacking and skidding move
- 1
Plan the move
Set the path, the loads and the bearing for the tracks.
- 2
Jack to height
Raise the load on synchronised hydraulic jacks.
- 3
Skid into place
Slide the load along the beams under controlled force.
- 4
Set and check
Lower onto the final position and verify alignment.
Synchronisation keeps it safe
On a multi jack lift the jacks must stay level within tight tolerance. A jack out of step twists the load and overloads the others, so synchronised control is not optional.
When a load is too big or too precise for a crane, we jack and skid it into place under hydraulic control. Tell us the load and the position and we will engineer the move.
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