Danish wind turbine company, Vestas, has ordered nine wind blade transport systems from Germany’s Transporter Industry International (TII Group).
The vehicle system was jointly developed by Vestas and the TII Group and debuted at Bauma 2019. The future-proof series solution is tailor-made for the transport of the latest generation of wind blades.
“Together with our partners from TII, we have developed this new transport solution to improve our ability to transport our longest blades over large distances in a flexible and cost-efficient way,” said Vestas Head Specialist WTCC Product Critical Functions Engineering, Kim Bredo Rahbek. “This solution is the result of our constant effort to challenge and rethink our current logistic setup to develop new technologies that help drive the industry forward.”
The system comprises a two-axle jeep dolly with a free-turning device and a four-axle trailer. The mounting of the wind blade works according to the ‘Plug and Play’ principle. Unlike conventional systems, the TII solution only requires a few tools. With a special lifting device, the wing root is picked up comfortably from the ground. The quick coupling solution consists of a root adapter and a root frame. The free-turning device is pre-assembled on the latter, and then the frame with root is coupled to the adapter in the twinkling of an eye.
Compared to conventional vehicle types, the new combination has maximum manoeuvrability and guarantees a high level of safety for the load. The intelligent arrangement of joints in the bearings ensures gentle transport of the sensitive rotor blade. With the help of a simple plug-in connection, a manufacturer-independent friction clamp can be fitted to accommodate the wind blade at the rear end.
The new vehicle combination offers maximum flexibility on bumpy roads or obstacles on the road. The lifting height can be varied up to two metres at the front and up to one metre at the rear end of the vehicle.
An economic plus: for return transports, all parts can be shortened to a compact semi-trailer combination with a total length of only 16,500mm and a weight of less than 60 tonnes – eliminating the need for special permits for return transport.