Barnhart was tasked with multiple projects in Canada in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island over the course of a month. At Price Edward Island, the crew was tasked with changing out blades utilizing a craneless blade system and our single crane system that allowed the work to be performed with one crane instead of two.
The team's secret weapon was Barnhart's single crane Blade Bar, an adjustable lattice boom bar with a custom counterweight system to adjust the center of gravity at height. A sling at the end of the bar was looped over the blade and another sling with a blade protector was attached at the root end.
Once the blade was removed from the hub, it was lowered to the ground in the stall position, allowing for higher wind operating limits.
Under the two crane method, wind restrictions were limited to a cut off speed of around 15 mph. But the system enabled the team to perform at higher wind cut off speeds of 22 mph, increasing productivity on the project.