freitragende Schwertransporte

12:53 Jun 28, 2012 

Yes - I think it might be because English has more terms for eg types of bridge (cantilevered, suspension) whereas German refers to them all as 'freitragend' ie unsupported.

The item you linked too was quite promising looking but I wasn't sure how it would work for the sort of loads being discussed (200-500t), and then I realised I was apparently on completely the wrong track in terms of the way these items were being transported anyway!

12:28 Jun 28, 2012 

Yeah
the reason I got onto cantilever was because you had it in your description, and I was wondering... but it doesn't look like a forklift...., then I saw that thing where the axles are cantilevered, with the transformer on it. But yeah. Bernd's suggestion makes much more sense.

12:16 Jun 28, 2012 

I will do if I hear anything - it's in the hands of the agency/proofreader now so I may never know!

12:14 Jun 28, 2012 

Let us know what the manufacturer says, Vikki. Interesting one.

15:56 Jun 27, 2012 

Thanks Alison

I'd also interpreted the sentence in the way you have, but these two gentlemen made me think I'd mistaken it. In the end (given that the agency was awaiting a response from the client on this which wasn't forthcoming, and my deadline arrived) I submitted the translation with both options as follows, and safe in the knowledge that it was going to a proofreader anyway:

"The Z-shaped girders are designed in such a way that all possible pre-requisites for girder frame trailer transport – such as for transformers - are taken into account." or
"The Z-shaped girders are designed in such a way that all possible pre-requisites for unsupported transport of heavy loads – such as transformers - are taken into account."

I toyed with self-supporting after finding that word on the Golderhof website (not my client), but the German for that was selbsttragend and I couldn't convince myself that it was the same.

15:49 Jun 27, 2012 

Although Schwertransport(e) may refer to the vehicle(s) or trailer(s) (more often Schwertransporter), is it not the case that here it refers to the actual heavy/oversize/overweight load itself? In that case, it would be the load that is self-supporting.
See Collins:
Schwertransport m (Ladung) heavy load (=Transporter) → Schwertransporter m heavy truck or lorry (Brit), heavy goods or heavy weight (US) vehicle form, HGV (Brit) http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/Schwertransport
E.g.:
Today we are primarily a heavy haul carrier. We transport oversize, overweight and difficult loads, specializing in self-supporting loads.
http://www.perkinstrucking.net/
and offers the advantages of transporting large self-supporting loads such as steel tanks, large generators and more
http://www.khl.com/iphone/detail/item68179/
Examples of self-supporting loads are heavy machinery having a steel base with mounting feet, construction machinery such as rubber-tired front-end loaders, scrapers, and rough-terrain cranes.
http://pittstrailers.com/app/inventoryapp/warranty__manual_i...
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwertransport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oversize_load

13:42 Jun 27, 2012 

Thanks Joseph. I think Bernd's answer may have more specific relevance but I'll definitely note this term for future as well.

12:03 Jun 27, 2012 

This was the picture that got me thinking <a href="http://www.barnhartcrane.com/blog/transformer-transport"... http://www.barnhartcrane.com/blog/transformer-transport>&...