Flatbed Sem-Trailer for Longer Turbine Blades

A SPZ-P 3 AAA flatbed semi-trailer can transport longer blades. The trailer pictured carries a 55-m long Vestas blade for a total length of 65 m. The three-axle flatbed is the first to carry long blades that weigh 13 ton. Maneuverability, a steering angle of 60°, a swing axle with a constant track gauge, and high-axle compensation makes such transports possible. The vehicle can also be shortened to accommodate narrow passages and obstacles.

Goldhofer
www.goldhofer.com

Lengthy blades no longer a problem

An industrial hauling company has developed a flatbed semi-trailer that can transport wind turbine blades up to 62 m. The Goldhofer SPZ-P 3AAA has the capacity to extend from 20 to 62 m, and so can carry wind turbine blades in their shipping frames.

A deep extendable spine allows the trailer to carry a 13-ton load 10 m from the front, where the frame’s front bolster supports the turbine blade. The rear bolster can be transported at the rear of the trailer, with the blade extending 10 m behind it. The manufacturer of the trailer says this increases manoeuvrability and reduces its length to 52 m.

In addition, the trailer’s three rows of pendular axles give a steering angle of 60°, and its hydraulic suspension has an axle stroke of 600 mm. This means any stress is taken away from the blade during off-road transportation.

Goldhofer

www.goldhofer.de

Transporter simplifies shipping nacelles

A German truck designer has collaborated with a hauling company and engineers from Vestas Wind Systems to devise a trailer just for transporting the latter company’s wind-turbine nacelles. Trailer manufacturer Goldhofer AG developed the equipment to handle the recent Vestas Mk6 and Mk7, 2-MW nacelle. The trailer is said to score well with crews in terms of how well it drives, levels of safety, and simplicity of operation.

Goldhofer says it also worked with Danish hauling specialists Torben Rafn & Co. A/S, which was first to order a trailer to transport wind-power plants and tower sections. “The nacelle transporter makes handling large sections less complex and less expensive,” says Goldhofer AG CEO Stefan Fuchs.

The design is said to accommodate a nacelle’s eccentric center of gravity by taking into consideration its longitudinal and lateral offsets. Design benefits include more even axle loading and no special driving skills even over rough terrain. The nacelle transporter was designed for tight turns often encountered with long trailers. Loading a nacelle is said to be straightforward thanks to a side-mounted attachment and a method that allows fastening longitudinal beams as needed. Other pluses: Set-up times drop and it is not necessary to use a crane to remove the nacelle from the trailer. It’s also no longer necessary to lash a nacelle to a trailer thanks to the flush fit of the Vestas transport frame (the blue ring and frame in the picture) and a play-free fastening mechanism with lock pins which also ensure safe shipping. What’s more, trailer sections can ride one upon the other to considerably shorten the equipment for empty trips.

The trailer is also useful in other transport jobs. “The design works well in terms of flexibility and economical operation. For example, payloads up to 95 tons can be carried on a 10-axle heavy-duty module,” says Fuchs. WPE