Custom skate systems Aerospace Engine Skates

A custom skate system designed and built for UTC, so one person can tow an aero engine on its frame from goods-in to the work area with no forklift in the building.

Designed and manufactured in the UK

Union Jack - Made in the UK

Made in the UK

Shield - 2 Year Warranty

2-Year Warranty

Globe - Global Distributors

Global Distributors

Graduation cap - Operator Training

Operator Training

Spanner - UK Service Team

UK Service Team

Aerospace Engine Skates · how they carry
Mounted once, outside

The engine frame goes onto the skates outside the production area and stays on them while it is in the building.

Pedestrian areas stay clear

The reason UTC asked for it: large forklifts out of areas full of people.

Low, stable, steered from the tug

A tall, valuable load kept close to the floor and placed within millimetres.

Engines moved by one person, forklifts kept outside.

In 2013 UTC asked us for a way to move aero engines from the factory entrance to the right location inside the building. The driver was safety: large forklift trucks were operating in areas full of pedestrians, and UTC wanted them out.

We designed and manufactured a skate system that the engine transport frames mount onto. The mounting happens outside the production area, and from there a Tractive unit tows the engine to wherever it is needed. The forklifts stay outside, and the engine travels low and stable through the plant.

It is still a custom build: each set of skates is designed around the frame it carries. If your engines or large assemblies sit on their own stands, we start from the same approach.

Electric tug towing an aero engine on its transport frame on the custom skate system
Where the same approach works

What goes on engine skates.

TP250 electric tug moving a jet engine module at Lufthansa TechnikAerospaceEngines on transport framesEngines and modules on their frames moved from goods-in to the bay, with the forklifts outside.Electric tugs for AerospaceElectric tug moving a jet engine on its cradle in an aerospace MRO hangarMROEngines on cradlesCradled engines moved between test, strip and build areas in an MRO facility.Electric tugs for AerospaceElectric tug pulling a 9,000 kg machine cabinet across a factory floorEngineeringLarge assemblies and toolingJigs, tooling and assemblies on their own stands, put on skates the same way.All skate systemsTP1000 electric tug moving heavy machinery on skatesEngineeringMachinery and plantMachine tools and plant moved into position during installation or relocation.Electric tugs for Engineering & manufacturing
At work in

How it works

Mount once, tow as often as you need.

Render of the aerospace engine skate system showing the skates under the engine frame

1. Frame onto the skates

Outside the production area the engine frame is lowered onto the skates, which sit under the frame at its load points.

Electric tug coupled to a jet engine on its cradle in an aerospace MRO facility

2. Couple to the Tractive unit

The front skate carries the towbar. It couples to the tug, so the whole frame steers from the operator’s handset.

Operator walking a jet engine module through the hangar at Lufthansa Technik with a TP250 electric tug

3. Walk it to the work area

One person tows the engine through the plant at walking pace and places it exactly where the work happens.

The machine

Towed by a Tractive unit.

The skates are one half of the system; the tug is the other. We match the machine to the weight of the engine and frame and the floor it crosses, and we confirm the pairing before anything is built. The same tug keeps its standard coupling for other jobs around the plant.

USUAL PAIRING

TP500 Tractive Pusher

8,000 kg on castors and 40,000 kg on rails, with a Compact version for tight hangars and workshops.

TP500 Tractive Pusher

HEAVIER FRAMES

TP1000 Tractive Pusher

Power steered, with 12,000 kg on castors and 100,000 kg on rails, for the largest engines and longer runs through the plant.

TP1000 Tractive Pusher

Other ways to move it

Skates, trolley or coupling?

The engine system is the example most customers ask about. The same approach moves machinery, containers and building modules.

All skate systems

Machinery, transformers, ISO containers and modular buildings on custom skates, moved by one person.

See skate systems

Cable Drum Trolley

For cable drums that have to be lifted, moved and paid out in situ by one person. Built to your drum sizes.

See the drum trolley

A custom coupling

If the load already rolls, a coupling built around it may be all you need. Pushpad, fifth wheel, paper roll, quick latch or bespoke.

All custom builds

Ways to buy

Buy outright, hire, or spread the cost.

Every machine is available three ways. Tell us what you’re moving and how long you need it for, and we’ll include the options in your quotation.

Outright purchase

Buy the tug and own it from day one. Every machine is built in the UK and comes with a 2-year warranty and the backing of our UK service team.

Ask for a quotation

Hire agreement

Hire a tug for a project, a seasonal peak or a trial before you commit. Short and long-term hire agreements, with the machine fitted with the right coupling for your load.

Ask about hire

Finance available

Spread the cost of a new machine with a finance agreement. Finance is available on every tug in the range, so ask us to include the options with your quotation.

Ask about finance

Load Check

Will engine skates suit your frames?

Send us the frame drawings, the loaded weight and the route through the plant, with doorway and lift sizes. We’ll come back with the skate design, the tug and a price.

Rather talk it through? Call 01538 360372.

What does it run on? *
What's the floor like?

One of our engineers will look at your load and call you back to talk it through. We'll only use your details for that.

Frequently Asked

Engine skates: your questions

That is the point of a custom build. Send us the frame drawings, the loaded weight and where the frame can be supported, and we design the skates around them.

No. The frame is mounted onto the skates once, outside the production area, and stays on them while it is in the building.

Yes. The operator walks with the tug at the front of the frame, and a wireless radio control is available where it is better to stand clear and watch both ends of the load.

No. The same approach moves machinery, transformers, ISO containers and building modules on skates. The engine system is the example most customers ask about.