It’s hard to take an extended road trip without marveling at the sheer size of wind turbines. These feats of human engineering are not only impressive in size—they’re also spectacularly heavy.
So how do they get made? Some of them, we’re proud to say, with the help of Hamilton.
We recently sold a bunch of monster 70,000 lbs. load-rated casters to a world-famous renewable energy giant to help haul wind turbines along a massive assembly line at their wind factory—the largest in North America. The factory produces a staggering 50 turbines a week. It’s a highly-specialized ballet of next-generation technology, heavy machinery, robots, cranes, forklifts and trucks, all working together in the name of renewable energy.
And here’s where Hamilton comes in: The wind turbine’s 120,000-lb. gear boxes (located at the top of a turbine) are assembled along the factory line on massive platforms supported by four of our 70,000-lb capacity Hamilton casters. Bonus: the assembly work area also features Hamilton Steel Wheel and Flanged Track Wheels (they’re no size and capacity slouches, themselves) that transition the platform from the casters into the system for final assembly. Once complete, the platform is towed out of the assembly area and back onto the casters. The finished gear box is then free to travel through the plant and staged for shipment.
Because one good heavy thing leads to another.
Special 70K Dual Wheel Caster
- Capacity: 70,000 lbs.
- Wheels: 17.5" x 6" 4140 Steel Wheels with Tapered Bearings
- Overall Height: 25.5"
- Top Plate: 24" x 24"
- Bolt Holes: 20" x 20"
- Swivel Offset: 6"