COLD WEATHER AND LOAD SIZE POSE A CHALLENGE IN HAUL PROJECT

Barnhart was hired to haul a 435,000-pound turbine to Dexter, Minn., a journey of over 1000 miles that originated in Alberta, Canada.

The turbine was brought to the border town of Sweet Grass, Mont. where it was staged on stands. It was then self-loaded to Barnhart’s GS-800 transporter, which brought the total size of the transport to 16’7” high, 18’ wide and 316’ long with a gross weight of 982,000 lbs.

At both the beginning and end of the journey, the trip was hampered by severe winter weather. Finding a route to accommodate the dimensions of the load was also a challenge, requiring multiple state and county permits. Two trucks assisted in pushing the load up steep grades and with maintaining an adequate speed.

The trip ultimately took 10 days for Barnhart to complete. Toward the end of the route, the team had to manage Frost Laws, seasonal restrictions that involve weight limits on roadways, where thawing pavement reduces load capacity. The final step was to offload and stage the turbine with 50-ton one-shot gantries to the client’s cribbing.