ONSHORE WIND POWER Ӏ ENERGY


weights up to 110 tonnes and diameters up to 6.8m. The increased payload comes from the combination of a front bogie in the form of a four-axle dolly with pendulum axles and a heavy-duty THP/SL-S (285) module as the trailing dolly. This vehicle concept meets the additional safety requirements specified by the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. Instead of the usual configuration with two free-turning devices – that is, goosenecks at the bogie and at the trailing module – the new system has only one free- turning device, which is located at the front of the unit, between the front tractor dolly and the tower adapter. The rear tower adapter is


mounted directly on the heavy- duty module. Compared with a completely


free-turning system Goldhofer claims this solution delivers improved lateral stability for greater safety, even at high tilt angles.


VERTICAL REACH After transport has been accomplished, on-site construction, and then on-site maintenance, follow. Both require extremes of high lifting, and therefore cranes with exceptional vertical reach. As an example, at the end of


May 2024 crane company Hofmann, based in Paderborn, Germany, used its brand-new (and


very large) Liebherr LR 1800-1.0 lattice boom crawler crane to erect two high-performance 5.7 MW Nordex wind turbines at a hub height of 160 metres. The site was a former military radio station. The crane had been purchased with wind projects especially in mind, and this was its first assignment. It has a lifting capacity of up to 800 tonnes and hook heights of over 200 metres: the rotor diameter of the Nordex turbines was 163 metres. In April the crane system was


transported from the Liebherr plant in Ehingen to Prüm and assembled there for the first time. It weighs around 900 tonnes and was moved on 60 low-loaders. To reduce the number of transport


HARSH CONDITIONS NO PROBLEM FOR TEREX RT AT SOUTH AFRICAN WIND FARM On site the cranes are moving concrete slabs to facilitate the


Difficult terrain and extreme climate has lead South Africa-based Concorde Cranes to use a Terex TRT 35 rough terrain crane on a windfarm project in a remote, rugged and mountainous part of Northern Cape, South Africa. It took Midrand-based Concord Cranes 15 hours to transport the


crane from Cape Town to the Coleskop Wind Farm site in Noupoort using a three-axle lowbed.


project's groundwork and then positioning 26 electrical poles required to channel energy from the wind turbines to the power station. Concord Cranes’s engineers selected the TRT 35 for a number


of reasons. Key was its ability to navigate and operate in the tough environment of the farm with its steep gradients and uneven ground conditions. The crane’s width of 2.5m and a choice of four steering


options enable it to tackle rugged terrain where conventional road infrastructure is absent, says Terex. Being in a semi-desert region the cranes also have to endure an arid challenging climate defined by low rainfall, cloudless skies, and extremes of heat and cold between summer and winter. For the work the TRT 35 has a 22m main boom and a Cummins


four-cylinder engine with Eco Mode function designed to provide high power combined with optimised consumption. The crane has Terex’s Powershift (permanent four-wheel drive) which can be switched between manual mode (with three speeds forward and three speeds reverse) and automatic mode (with five speeds forward and three speeds reverse) to suit the driver’s style. Operation is via Terex’s TEOS (Terex Operating System) control


system with 10" touchscreen display. The manoeuvrability of the crane is also helping Concord


overcome challenges such as accessing units and handling the semi- fragile electrical poles. “Despite the demanding conditions the crane is exhibiting


exceptional reliability with no breakdowns, loose wires, or blown fuses since its deployment,” said Chester Rawstron, sales manager at Concord Cranes. “The TRT 35 boasts a capacity that exceeds our project requirements, ensuring the successful execution of lifting tasks with ease.”


CRANES TODAY 25


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