Nooteboom Mega Windmill Trailer XXL (MWT-XXL). Low loader for transporting windmill segments, max. internal diameter 6.1 metres.
The latest generation of windmill transporters from trailer manufacturer Nooteboom is called Windmill Trailer XXL and is suitable for transporting tower segments with an internal diameter of 2.85 to 6.10 metres. Nooteboom developed this trailer because windmills are getting bigger and bigger. The previous generation of windmill trailers could handle a maximum diameter of approximately 5.7 metres. The first Nooteboom windmill transporter dates from 2003.
The latest generation of MWT can transport a larger range of tower segments without having to adjust the mounting frame. This is due to a double, hydraulically extendable A-frame. The load is clamped with the unique three-point mounting, which makes the Nooteboom MWT-XXL easy to operate and has short loading and unloading times. The loading capacity is approximately 100 tonnes. Empty, the vehicle remains well below 4m high.
But tower sections with a smaller diameter and turbine housings, for example, can also be transported effortlessly, making the new MWT-XXL multifunctional. The Polish transport company Transannaberg recently put the first Nooteboom MWT-XXL into service.
Because the wind turbine sections are getting bigger, the height of the centre of gravity also increases. This requires extra stability from the trailer. In addition to the usual theoretical calculations, Nooteboom carried out stability tests on the test track of the Dutch Vehicle Authority (RDW) in Lelystad, where the difference in road behaviour between air suspension and hydraulic suspension was investigated. This showed that the new 2.84m wide Nooteboom trailing dolly with air suspension is at least as stable as a comparable trailer with hydraulic suspension and pendle axles. In the case of air suspension, the driver also receives a visible warning in advance because the vehicle starts to lean. The driver must then reduce speed. With a trailing dolly with hydraulic suspension and pendulum axles, the driver does not receive this warning in advance and is therefore unable to react in time.
Thanks in part to the air suspension, the new MWT-XXL has the easiest operation, low maintenance costs and a low tare weight. This means that the total weight of the loaded combination remains below 150 tonnes in most cases. Even when an axle with air suspension is fully compressed due to large unevenness in the road, the pressure in the suspension system remains present and the other axles will continue to carry the weight. When the same thing happens with hydraulic suspension, the pressure in the suspension system disappears and the compressed axle is overloaded. Finally, air suspension is also better for the environment, simply because less hydraulic oil is used in the vehicle.
A new option on the Nooteboom MWT-XXL are adjustable hooks with which the tower is clamped at the bottom. Thanks to the adjustability, tower sections with flanges that are thicker, thinner or have a significantly different shape can be safely loaded and transported without additional aids.
The Nooteboom MWT-XXL is equipped as standard with a 2.84 m wide trailing dolly, but Nooteboom can also supply the MWT for smaller diameters with a narrower (2.55 m wide) trailing dolly.
