# Wind turbine blades being transported by truck **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 10, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208 "2021-01-10T22:10:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/1 "2021-01-10T22:10:49Z")
[This article](https://jalopnik.com/watching-a-truck-hauling-wind-turbine-blades-kinda-hurt-1846019061) from Jalopnik has some _crazy_ photos of a 200+ foot long wind turbine blade being transported by truck, with the blade sticking _way_ up in the air. There’s also a YouTube video of a smaller blade being transported through a town, with the truck moving slowly enough that the guy operating the mechanism is walking with it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/2 "2021-01-10T22:17:32Z")
I wonder why they don’t use a helicopter. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/3 "2021-01-10T22:23:04Z")
One time I was staying at a motel in Marinette, WI. Also staying there were 4 or 5 cars with “wide load” type signage. Asked what was happening, and they said they were the cars that go ahead and behind the truck that was transporting a wind turbine blade from the port to somewhere in Iowa. Not that time but I have seen blades being transported (level, not tipped up) Brian A helicopter capable of carry a blade that big is likely thousands of dollars an hour (10s of thousands?) and may not have the range needed (ETA, found one cite for $5000/hour) [http://www.vannattabros.com/iron32.html](http://www.vannattabros.com/iron32.html) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/4 "2021-01-11T04:10:04Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Brian > A helicopter capable of carry a blade that big is likely thousands of dollars an hour (10s of thousands?) and may not have the range needed > (ETA, found one cite for $5000/hour) > [http://www.vannattabros.com/iron32.html](http://www.vannattabros.com/iron32.html) I think a large helicopter like a Chinook, Super Stallion, or Skycrane should easily handle the weight. Although I wonder if it’s safe carrying what amounts to a 200 foot wing? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/5 "2021-01-11T04:19:13Z")
Something that big, hanging from a cable attached to a helicopter, is going to swing and move about. That might be less safe than the current method, where the blade is firmly attached to the truck platform. I don’t know but I assume that the companies responsible for this rejected helicopter transport for valid reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/6 "2021-01-11T05:54:29Z")
Looking at the pictures, you’d think a strong gust would put the truck on its side. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/7 "2021-01-11T12:12:21Z")
Wind may dictate when they can move it. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/8 "2021-01-11T13:04:16Z")
I assume the driver was cautioned about watching out for low clearance underpasses. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/9 "2021-01-11T14:47:27Z")
Don’t forget, the wide angle lens on the drone is exaggerating the size of the blade. It isn’t 300 feet in the air, more like 60. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/10 "2021-01-11T14:50:52Z")
The article from Jalopnik links to a [LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/p-adams-schwertransporte_finishing-the-year-with-a-set-of-67m-rotor-activity-6749570622407360512-1AyD/) from the transport company that says the blades were 67 meters, which is 219 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/11 "2021-01-11T15:30:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > the blades were 67 meters, which is 219 feet. 219 feet long, on a 30 degree-ish angle, means the end was ~120 feet off the ground. Higher than I though. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/12 "2021-01-11T19:28:23Z")
Not what I was expecting… There was a wind turbine factory somewhere near Burleson, TX, and I would see trucks carrying the blades and other parts fairly often on my commute. But the blades would be transported flat, not at an angle like that. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/13 "2021-01-11T20:08:06Z")
Right- [they’re usually done like this.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wind_turbine_blade_transport_I-35.jpg) My guess is that the contraption the OP posts is more of a European thing required where the blade has to traverse small winding roads in small towns, while that’s not usually necessary in US towns. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/14 "2021-01-12T21:50:11Z")
The heaviest lift helicopters top out at around 20K lbs of useful load. A 200ft blade weighs some 40K lbs by my reckoning. I could only find cites for older smaller blades and applied some standard aerostructures scaling factors to derive an estimate for a 220 ft blade. If anybody can find an actual cite for weights of blades that long that’d be informative. IMO: The reason we can’t use helos is that the very biggest helos are ~50% too small. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/15 "2021-01-12T23:21:42Z")
Yeah - the one time I saw one being transported, it was horizontal. IIRC, it was managed by basically having two trailers, one at the front end and one at the back end. I can’t recall whether there was any other support in the middle - was too busy driving my car at the time to look too closely. I believe there were several cars in convoy as described by others. The photo showing one transported at an angle is really strange. Aha: this looks a bit like what I remember seeing: > **[Call for patience as giant wind turbine blades transported over Blue Mountains](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-07/wind-turbine-blades-to-cause-traffic-delays-blue-mountains/12531752)** > > The trucking of oversize loads along the Great Western Highway is expected to take several months but planners aim to keep traffic disruptions to a minimum. Those suckers really are huge. We drive through a wind farm along the interstate in Indiana a couple years back and there were dozens upon dozens of them - but until you get close to one you really can’t see the scale. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/16 "2021-01-12T23:33:36Z")
The ones that stick up in the air seem like they are attached to a giant swivel that lets the blades be moved up or down, right or left so that they can negotiate any overpasses (down-straight) or roadside buildings/post etc.(up-right or left). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/17 "2021-01-12T23:40:27Z")
> [@bump](#): > > My guess is that the contraption the OP posts is more of a European thing required where the blade has to traverse small winding roads in small towns, while that’s not usually necessary in US towns. I saw a youtube documentary on, I think, that exact move. And yes, it was to deal with winding roads. Having the blade up in air essentially makes it shortens the length of it. They even hit one area where they had to change the pitch to deal with overhead lines. This isn’t the documentary I watched (it was a longer one with full narration), but it appears to be the same move. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bn62rN8-EvE/maxresdefault.jpg "wind turbine blade transport www.koreatls.co.kr") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn62rN8-EvE) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/18 "2021-01-12T23:45:56Z")
Here’s the one I watched: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7_N26eaXar4/maxresdefault.jpg "HEAVY TRANSPORT MISSION - Giants On The Move | Full Documentary") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_N26eaXar4) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/19 "2021-01-12T23:47:37Z")
Ans a Chinese one: [(2) How are wind turbine blades transported to mountains? - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dtUrY8_1CM&ab_channel=CGTN) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208/20 "2021-01-13T00:20:57Z")
The Jalopnik page I linked to in the OP links to a [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxfQrVySqi8) that shows the blade mechanically attached to the trailer, and you can see the operator raising and lowering the angle and twisting the blade as necessary to avoid obstructions. They may change the angle so it’s kept in the wind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-turbine-blades-being-transported-by-truck/930208.md?page=2)