For the purpose of simplicity, CAT™ equipment will be used in this description. Equipment of equivalent capacity can be interchanged as needed. (As a general rule, the static tipping load at full articulation must be equal or greater than the weight to be carried.)

Target Production rate: 400-600 bags per day

Field Production (large diameter)

Target Production rate: 80-100 filled bags per day three loaders

Hopper carrier,
Filling loader,
Transporting loader

Approximately: three operators & three laborers

The Saddle Bag Weight™ is specifically designed for wetland applications . It will conform to the pipe and the ditch when installed, as well as maintain tension across the top of the pipe. The wetter the application, the better the Saddle Bag Weight™ performs.

The Saddle Bag Weight™ has no environmental impact.
The Saddle Bag Weight™ is fabricated from completely inert materials. There is no concern with leaching of lime into the soil in environmentally sensitive areas, or disposal of leftover concrete.

The Saddle Bag Weight™ provides more negative buoyancy per pound than a concrete weight. The average density of limestone or granite is much greater than that of concrete, so the submerged weight is higher than the submerged weight of an equivalent concrete weight. This saves money – fewer weights for same negative buoyancy.

The Saddle Bag Weight™ saves on ditch depth . The Saddle Bag Weight™ does not extend above the top of the pipe, saving in ditch depth. In wetland installations of large diameter pipe, this can represent a significant savings in excavations cost.

The Saddle Bag Weight™ allows less ditch dewatering.
It is not necessary to totally expose the pipe prior to installation.

The Saddle Bag Weight™ will not tip off of the pipe. The Saddle Bag Weight™ has a center of gravity well below the center of the pipe and will not tip off, regardless of the stability of the bottom of the ditch.

There is no need for rock shield. The Saddle Bag Weight™ will not damage corrosion coating or the pipe, even if the bag strikes the pipe during installation.

The Saddle Bag Weight™ is easily and quickly installed. In wetland applications the Saddle Bag Weight™™ can be more quickly installed than a concrete set-on anchor weight due to less dewatering and less concern with bumping the pipe.

Saddle Bag Weight™ can be handled, loaded out, and installed immediately after filling.

The ideal aggregate for filling Saddle Bag Weight™s is Number 10 Chat, or 5mm to 20mm crushed stone. However, any available aggregate or river rock of the same dimension can be used. “Dirty” aggregate or river rock should not be used because earth or dirt in the mixture can cause clogging of the filling tubes. Aggregate should consist of crushed rock with a minimum uncrushed density of 2405 kg per cu. meter. Maximum aggregate size is 20 mm.

As mentioned above the best piece of equipment for the filling hopper is an integrated tool carrier with a quick coupling device. However, a hydraulic excavator can be used.

The filling hopper is set on the ground by the loader and the second loader fills the hopper with aggregate so that both bins in the filling hopper are completely full. Once the hopper is loaded, the filling bar (75 mm x 4 meters) is threaded through the bar pocket and the bar with the Saddle Bag Weight™ attached is set onto the carrier rack on the hopper.

This picture shows the filling bar threaded through the bar pocket with the filling bar extending through both ends of the Saddle Bag. The bag is now ready to be placed on the filling hopper by one laborer on each end of the bar.

The gates on the filling hopper are designed to be opened by hand or by hydraulics. The hydraulics can be activated via the auxiliary hydraulics on the IT.

Care should be taken to keep the nylon straps in the proper location on the bag as it’s being filled and not let them droop or fall off the unfilled bag prior to filling. When the bag is partially filled (1/2 to ¾ full) the IT operator should tamp the bag a couple of times on the ground to settle the aggregate in the bag. This is to ensure the bag gets the proper amount of aggregate in it.

Care should be taken to assure that the tamping is done on a piece of ground with no protruding debris to assure that the bag is not punctured. When the bag is full the IT operator closes the gates on the filling hopper and gives the bags a couple more tamps to get all of the aggregate out of the filling tubes. The bag is then lowered to the ground and the filling tubes are removed from the bag. The filling bar is then removed from the bag and the IT operator returns to get the filling hopper charged again. While the operator is doing this the filling tubes are rolled and tied shut with the attached tube ties.

While the filling hopper is being charged and after the bar is removed and the bag is tied shut, the Saddle Bag is then transported to a stockpile by the transporting loader or forklift. The base of the stockpile should be free of protruding objects to assure that Saddle Bag is not punctured. Saddle Bag weights can be stacked as high as is convenient for the equipment operator. Care should be taken to lift and transport the bags from all four lifting straps in the center of the two lobes. Never lift the Saddle Bag weight from just one or two nylon straps.

 While the Saddle Bag is manufactured from UV resistant material, if the Saddle Bag weights are to be stored for a long period of time prior to installation, they should be covered with opaque plastic sheeting or tarped to prevent unnecessary degradation.

The Saddle Bag weights are usually delivered to the right-of-way by loading them from the stockpile point on a flatbed trailer. When loading the bags and stringing them; they should always be picked up by the center straps. The bags are then strung out along the right-of-way at the required installation points. We have found that the most effective way to install the Saddle Bag weights is to use a track-hoe (hydraulic excavator) with a hook installed on the bottom of the bucket. We can provide a specially designed spreader bar which attaches to the hook on the bottom of the bucket. This spreader bar has four chains with hooks attached at each end. The four hooks from the spreader bar are attached to the four straps on one side or lobe of the bag (not the center straps).

The Saddle Bag weight is then lifted so that one side or lobe is hanging from the hooks and the other side or lobe is suspended below it (see picture below). The lower bag or lobe is placed on the opposite side of the pipe and lowered into the far side of the ditch and the upper bag or lobe, where the hooks are placed, is pulled into the near side of the ditch. The Saddle Bag weight is correctly installed when the center straps are tight across the top and touching the top of the pipe

Ideally, the Saddle Bag Weight and the top of the pipe will be the same height. However, varying ditch depths and widths, debris in the ditch, and other factors may cause one or both lobes of the bag to stand up slightly above the height of the pipe. This is not a problem as long as the center straps are low and tight across the top of the pipe.

For more information on installation, visit http://www.saddletech.ca.