How Power Team, Hydra-Slide, and Foxtrot combine to lift, move, and position heavy loads safely in datacenter, industrial and infrastructure projects.
Every challenging move of a large asset—whether a transformer, chiller, press, or modular data center skid—comes down to the same three actions: lift, move, and set. Historically, project teams have relied on a patchwork of cranes, toe jacks, rollers, and forklifts to cover these stages, often mixing suppliers and improvising interfaces between them. Hydraulic Technologies has consolidated a different approach by bringing three brands together under its Heavy Lift Solutions umbrella: Power Team for high-pressure hydraulic lifting, Hydra-Slide for engineered skidding systems, and Foxtrot Industriel for motorized robotics that position loads precisely on the ground. The Hydraulic Technologies homepage positions the company as a global provider of safe and reliable hydraulic solutions for infrastructure, oil and gas, power generation, industrial MRO, and more, with Power Team, Bolting Systems, Posi Lock, Hydra-Slide, and Foxtrot among its key brands. Power Team covers high-pressure (typically 10,000 psi / 700 bar) cylinders, pumps, shop equipment, and motion control systems such as the eSync portable synchronous jacking platform. Hydra-Slide focuses on skidding equipment that keeps heavy loads close to the ground, including low-profile systems like the XLP150 (150 ton / 136 tonne capacity at 1.25 inch / 32 mm working height) and heavy track systems up to 500 tons (454 tonnes). Foxtrot specializes in battery-powered power skates and robots—such as the SOLO 60, with a 60 T (132,000 lb) rating and 360 kg (800 lb) self-weight—that move loads with omnidirectional precision. When these brands are planned together rather than separately, heavy load handling becomes a coherent, low-risk workflow instead of a series of disconnected steps. Consider a refinery or data center project where a 50 ton (45 tonne) module must be offloaded from a trailer, transported across a congested yard, and set on a tightly toleranced foundation. Power Team high-tonnage cylinders and portable electric or air pumps handle the initial jack-and-pack, lifting the module a controlled 8–12 inches (200–300 mm) while cribbing is built underneath in incremental layers of 3.5 or 6 inch (89 or 150 mm) timbers. With the module safely supported, Hydra-Slide low-profile skids take over, pushing or pulling the load along graphite-lubricated steel track using bidirectional shoes and synchronized hydraulic circuits. Engineers define jack and skid positions in both imperial and metric units—tons / tonnes, inches / millimetres, and feet / metres—to align with mixed drawing sets and international crews. For example, a Hydra-Slide XLP150 system might be specified to support 150 tons (136 tonnes) at 1.25 inch (32 mm) working height, with stroke lengths and travel distances laid out in 24 inch (610 mm) increments along 40 feet (12.2 m) of track. Power Team cylinders rated for 10,000 psi (700 bar) are sized so that required lifting forces stay comfortably below rated capacity, and eSync or other control options can be added when multi-point synchronous lifting is required—for example, when jacking a 500,000 lb (227 tonne) bridge span or generator stator. On jobs where overhead crane time is limited or unavailable, this grounded combination of jacking and skidding allows teams to land equipment close to the ground and keep it there throughout most of the move. That reduces exposure to suspended loads, simplifies exclusion zones, and often shortens outage windows. For infrastructure and energy projects, where many stakeholders care about schedule and public safety, the ability to present an integrated Heavy Lift Solutions plan—featuring Power Team, Hydra-Slide, and Foxtrot—can differentiate contractors and reassure owners that risk is being managed systematically.
Once loads are safely jacked clear of their supports, grounded movement becomes the priority. Traditional methods often rely too heavily on cranes and forklifts, increasing exposure to suspended loads, congestion, and weather. Hydra-Slide’s engineered skidding systems—low-profile, graphite-lubricated tracks and skid shoes powered by synchronized hydraulic circuits—offer a safer alternative that keeps loads close to the ground. The company’s Skidding 101 resources and case studies show how contractors use systems like the XLP150 and HT500 to move transformers, chillers, and process equipment weighing hundreds of tons. For example, published project summaries describe an XLP150 system sliding a buried gate valve assembly in and out of a tight underground chamber, and an LP350 moving a 25-ton chiller through a narrow opening into a live plant without major structural modifications. Designing a grounded skidding plan starts with a survey of the load path from landing point to final foundation. Engineers map elevations, turning radii, bearing capacities, and overhead constraints, then choose a Hydra-Slide system whose capacity and geometry fit those conditions. Low-profile systems like the XLP30 and XLP150 offer working heights as low as 1.25 inches (32 mm), ideal where clearance is minimal, while heavy track systems such as the HT500 provide 500 ton (454 tonne) capacity with 8 inch (205 mm) tall tracks. Power Team pumps and cylinders—many of which are already used for the initial lift—supply controlled flow and 700 bar (10,000 psi) pressure to the skid circuits, taking advantage of the same high-pressure hydraulic standards that underpin the broader Hydraulic Technologies portfolio. Grounded movement does not remove the need for precision; it shifts where that precision is exercised. With Hydra-Slide systems, control comes from matched cylinder stroke, skid friction, and flow-balanced manifolds or synchronous power units. Operators track travel distances in both imperial (inches and feet) and metric (millimetres and metres) to align with project documentation and international crews. For example, an HT500 system might be specified to push a transformer 40 feet (12.2 m) along track, in 12 inch (300 mm) increments, using a four-port synchronous power unit that maintains level within a tolerance of ±0.12 inch (±3 mm). These dual-unit measurements are increasingly important on global projects where engineering teams design in SI units while field personnel and rigging charts may still reference imperial dimensions. Throughout the move, Hydra-Slide emphasizes robust cribbing and load blocking. Skid beams rest on engineered timber or steel supports arranged to keep contact pressures well below concrete or soil limits, with crib stacks built in standard lift increments—often 3.5 inch (89 mm) or 6 inch (150 mm) timbers—to make inspection and adjustment intuitive. Combined with Power Team’s high-tonnage cylinders, this approach allows crews to lift, slide, and set loads in carefully controlled steps, maintaining a low centre of gravity and reducing the risk of instability compared with suspended picks.
The final stage of most heavy moves happens away from large cranes and outside the reach of long skid runs: inside plants, on mezzanines, or in congested yards where loads must thread between existing equipment. Here, Foxtrot Industriel’s power skates and omnidirectional robots extend the capabilities of Power Team and Hydra-Slide by providing powered mobility and precise steering under heavy loads. Foxtrot’s SOLO series robots are compact, battery-powered power skates with capacities from 10 to 60 tons (9 to 54 tonnes). The SOLO 60, for example, can move 60 T (132,000 lb) while weighing just 360 kg (800 lb) itself and maintaining a low profile of around 7.25 inches (184 mm). Remote control gives a single operator fine control over speed and direction while staying clear of pinch points, and integrated brakes hold the load when commands stop. The SOLO 20 and SOLO 10 address smaller loads or situations where two people must carry the robot by hand into basements, mezzanines, or tight equipment rooms. For long, uneven, or awkward loads, Foxtrot’s OMNI and TANGO robots add synchronized and omnidirectional motion. The OMNI DUO configuration, for example, combines two robots with integrated lifting cylinders to handle up to 35 tons (about 31.8 tonnes), allowing loads to move laterally, rotate in place, or follow complex paths around obstacles. Case studies on Foxtrot’s site highlight moves where a single operator and spotter used the TANGO platform to reposition large compressors and chillers three times faster than traditional methods, with less manual pushing and better line-of-sight control. Coordinating these technologies requires clear handoff points between stages. A typical heavy-load workflow might unfold as follows. First, Power Team cylinders and pumps lift a 40 ton (36 tonne) transformer 12 inches (300 mm) onto crib stacks. Second, Hydra-Slide XLP150 skids carry the load 60 feet (18 m) along low-profile track into a turbine hall, with level maintained by a four-port synchronous power unit. Third, once the transformer reaches the edge of its concrete pad, crews shift it onto a pair of Foxtrot SOLO 20 robots, which manoeuvre it sideways and rotate it into final alignment within millimetres. Throughout this sequence, measurement and communication stay bilingual in imperial and metric units—tons and tonnes, feet and metres, inches and millimetres—to match engineering drawings, local regulations, and contractor habits. Job plans reference product data from Hydraulic Technologies, Hydra-Slide, and Foxtrot websites, where capacity charts and dimensions are typically published in both systems. By treating these brands as one integrated Heavy Lift Solutions toolkit, planners can build repeatable playbooks that minimize crane time, reduce manual handling, and improve safety on infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, and data center projects worldwide. For readers who want to explore these technologies further, Hydra-Slide’s Skidding 101 resources and application pages, Foxtrot’s Blog robots, and Hydraulic Technologies’ brand overviews and case studies on eSync synchronous jacking all provide deep technical detail and real-world examples of integrated heavy moves.