Say that you need to move something big. Really big. Space Shuttle big. Where do you turn? Toyota, of course! A stock Toyota Tundra will tow the Endeavour Space Shuttle this morning as it crosses the 405 freeway in Los Angeles soon after it leaves LAX on its epic journey through the streets of Los Angeles to its final resting place at the California Science Center just south of downtown Los Angeles.
The whole endeavor has been aptly named Mission 26: The Final Endeavour. The shuttle will travel a total of 12 miles as it traverses city streets - the first and last time for any space shuttle. Most of the journey will be made using a specially constructed self-powered rig that will carry the massive space shuttle. Since the Endeavor has a 78 foot wing span and an overall height of 58 feet at the tip of its tail, while being moved, power lines and street lights have had to be removed from its path. Hundreds of trees have also been chopped down. However, the Science Center and its sponsors will be planting many more new trees and restoring infrastructure with a specialized urban renewal plan.
The overall weight of the Endeavour and its transportation rig it is too heavy to traverse the Manchester Boulevard bridge over the infamous 405 freeway so it will be transferred to a simpler dolly for better weight distribution. That's when it will be towed by a lot-fresh Tundra for this stretch of its two-day journey.
Toyota says the stock 2012 Tundra CrewMax 1/2-ton pickup that will be used is identical to production models, with no additional modifications to increase towing capacity or generate more power. The Tundra CrewMax is powered by a 5.7L V8 engine, with a maximum tow capacity of 10,000 pounds. Toyota says it has done extensive testing and worked with The Sarens Group, a heavy lifting and engineered transport company, to develop a dolly specifically for hauling the Endeavour.
Check out http://www.toyota.com/tundraendeavour/ for more information and videos on this once-in-a-lifetime project. If you've got some heavy lifting of your own to do, check out the Tundra trucks available at Tom Wood Toyota in Indianapolis!
The whole endeavor has been aptly named Mission 26: The Final Endeavour. The shuttle will travel a total of 12 miles as it traverses city streets - the first and last time for any space shuttle. Most of the journey will be made using a specially constructed self-powered rig that will carry the massive space shuttle. Since the Endeavor has a 78 foot wing span and an overall height of 58 feet at the tip of its tail, while being moved, power lines and street lights have had to be removed from its path. Hundreds of trees have also been chopped down. However, the Science Center and its sponsors will be planting many more new trees and restoring infrastructure with a specialized urban renewal plan.
The overall weight of the Endeavour and its transportation rig it is too heavy to traverse the Manchester Boulevard bridge over the infamous 405 freeway so it will be transferred to a simpler dolly for better weight distribution. That's when it will be towed by a lot-fresh Tundra for this stretch of its two-day journey.
Toyota says the stock 2012 Tundra CrewMax 1/2-ton pickup that will be used is identical to production models, with no additional modifications to increase towing capacity or generate more power. The Tundra CrewMax is powered by a 5.7L V8 engine, with a maximum tow capacity of 10,000 pounds. Toyota says it has done extensive testing and worked with The Sarens Group, a heavy lifting and engineered transport company, to develop a dolly specifically for hauling the Endeavour.
Check out http://www.toyota.com/tundraendeavour/ for more information and videos on this once-in-a-lifetime project. If you've got some heavy lifting of your own to do, check out the Tundra trucks available at Tom Wood Toyota in Indianapolis!
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