For the rearrangement of the train station area in Harderwijk, a 150-year-old oak tree needed to be relocated 60 meters from its original location. In 2014, BSI Bomenservice contacted us, requesting our assistance in moving the tree. We provided a 100-ton Linear Winch, including a snatch block, hydraulic power unit, and a generator set.  

Trenching and pulling  

When moving trees with a root ball of about 7 meters, lifting becomes impossible. This tree was therefore slid/pulled to its new destination.  

First, A 100-meter-long trench was excavated to the oak tree’s final destination, next to the entrance of a new tunnel. This trench would serve as the pathway to the tree’s new location.   

Then, the tree was placed on a carriage, and a structure made of interconnected steel plates was positioned beneath it. The steel cable of the winch was attached to the central point of the tree structure, enabling its pull to the new location.  

With the use of our CLI 210 intermittent linear winch and its snatch block, we were able to pull the oak through the trench with a final pull tension of 120 mTon.  

Pulling using a linear winch 

In September 2016, the new train station in Harderwijk was opened, marking the successful completion of this relocation project. The tree was not damaged during the project nor the build of the station and is still growing strong.  When visiting this station you can spot the old tree at the south side of the station, next to the biking tunnel.   

 This was not our first tree replacement adventure. Prior to the Harderwijk project, we successfully replaced trees in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Dordrecht and The Hague, this shows that linear winches, usually used for offshore tasks, can be used in various sectors for tree replacements and various other pulling projects.