Writing to ask the collective wisdom for advice in moving a large, fragile 
piece of mining equipment. The piece appears to be a mixer of some sort, 
approximately 6 ft. tall, currently lying on its side. It was part of a 
1930s oil field near Santa Maria, California. The area is currently being 
redeveloped as an oil field. The piece is lying next to a road that is being 
used by heavy drilling rigs, so is in danger of being damaged by traffic. 
There is no evidence of a foundation near the piece, so it does not appear 
to be in its original use location. One idea to keep the piece from further 
harm is to move it to the opposite side of the road and place it in the 
vicinity of some other remnant foundations from the 1930s development. A 
major concern with this idea is that the piece is quite rusted and appears 
to be rather fragile. There is a pipe running the length of the piece, which 
may help keep it together, but the outer shell may not fair so well.

Has anyone out there done this sort of move before? We are considering some 
nylon slings for the actual lifting part, but would like to put something 
around the piece in advance to keep it together and project it from 
additional damage. Any suggestions as to materials, procedures, or other 
options would be most welcome.

Thank you,
Marcy Rockman



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Marcy Rockman, Ph.D.

Principal Archaeologist
PCR Services Corporation
233 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 130
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-4488
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