At the Dashiqiao Xintai New Energy wind farm last week, Chinese heavy machinery manufacturer XCMG’s XCA3000 hoisted a 25-tonne, 312-foot-long (95-meter-long) blade to a wind turbine’s hub at a height of 351 feet (107 meters). It was then docked onto the hub and installed in place.
The XCA3000 wheeled crane, designed specifically for erecting wind turbines, is 525 feet (160 meters) tall. It has a 3,000-tonne rated lifting capacity, can hoist 190 tonnes, and is able to install up to 10-megawatt (MW) wind turbines. The state-owned company claims the XCA3000 sets a record for the heaviest and highest lifting capacity for wheeled cranes.
XCMG says the world’s largest wheeled crane more than doubles operational efficiency; it claims that a wind turbine’s nacelle, weighing 135 tons and having a power output of 5 megawatts (5 MW), can now be installed within a 30-minute operational window.
