Collett and Sons (logistics company) has completed what it describes as the UK's first dual blade lifter convoy operation, successfully transporting 80-metre wind turbine blades to the Sanquhar II Wind Farm development in Scotland.

The milestone operation marked the first project deployment of the company's new Goldhofer blade lifter, working in tandem with its existing Scheuerle blade lifter to support one of the largest onshore wind farm developments currently under construction in the United Kingdom.

A First for UK Abnormal Load Transport

The dual convoy configuration represented a significant step in specialist heavy transport capability within the UK. Running two blade lifter units simultaneously, the operation required dedicated six-person crews for each trailer, bringing the total number of specialist operators involved in managing each abnormal load movement to 12.

The Goldhofer unit, which forms part of Collett's continued investment in specialist transport equipment, made its operational debut on this project alongside the established Scheuerle trailer already in the company's fleet.

Paul Worth, Senior Project Manager at Collett, described the significance of adding the second unit to the operation. "The introduction of a second blade lifter has enabled us to increase blade delivery capacity during this phase of the project while maintaining the established transport methodology. Every movement still follows the same detailed planning process and operational controls required to transport blades of this size through a constrained route."

Scale and Scope of the Sanquhar II Project

Sanquhar II is a 44-turbine wind farm development, comprising 42 Vestas V162 turbines fitted with 80-metre blades and two V136 turbines fitted with 68-metre blades. Once the project programme concludes, Collett will have delivered a total of 480 wind turbine components to the site.

These components include not only the turbine blades themselves but also tower sections, nacelles, hubs and power trains. Deliveries are scheduled to continue through to project completion in 2027.

Rod Wood, Managing Director of CWP Energy, acknowledged the complexity of the logistics involved. "Sanquhar II is a major onshore wind project, and its successful delivery depends on careful planning and close collaboration between all parties involved.

The use of two blade lifters operating together has helped improve the efficiency of component deliveries while managing the logistical challenges associated with transporting large turbine blades to the site. We're pleased to be working with Collett and look forward to continuing to make good progress as construction advances."

A Two-Stage Transport Methodology

The delivery process operated in two distinct phases. In the first phase, turbine blades were loaded at King George V Dock in Glasgow and transported overland using Collett's quadruple extendable blade trailers. These moved the blades to a designated transition point located approximately 10 miles from the wind farm site.

At this transition point, Collett deployed its Kalmar reach stackers fitted with specialist lifting hooks to unload the blades from the extendable trailers and transfer them onto the blade lifter units for the final delivery phase.

The use of this specialist lifting equipment eliminated the need for a mobile crane at the transfer location, which the company said improved efficiency and reduced the additional site logistics requirements that a crane mobilisation would have introduced.

Navigating Constrained Rural Infrastructure

The final leg of the journey presented the most significant engineering challenges. The route from the transition point to the wind farm site passed through narrow villages, tight bends, and restricted road sections that would not have been accessible using conventional heavy transport solutions.

The blade lifter trailers addressed this by raising the blades to angles of up to 60 degrees, providing the manoeuvrability needed to navigate these constraints while maintaining control, stability and clearance throughout each movement.

The ability to tilt blades to steep angles is central to the operational value of blade lifter technology in onshore wind delivery, particularly in areas of Scotland where rural road infrastructure was not designed with abnormal loads of this scale in mind.

Standard trailer configurations capable of transporting blades horizontally over flat terrain cannot replicate the flexibility required on routes with sharp turns or overhead obstructions.

Pre-Delivery Planning and Route Assessment

Before any equipment was mobilised, Collett's in-house Consulting department conducted detailed route surveys and swept path analysis across the entire abnormal load route.

This process was designed to confirm the feasibility of transporting 80-metre blades along the planned corridor and to identify any infrastructure modifications or mitigation measures that would be required before deliveries could begin.

The swept path analysis allows engineers to model precisely how a loaded trailer will move through each bend, junction and restricted section of road, accounting for the dimensions and articulation of the vehicle and its cargo.

This planning work was completed in advance of mobilisation to ensure that each blade could be moved safely through the most challenging sections of the route without encountering unforeseen obstacles during live operations.

Investment in Specialist Fleet Capacity

The Sanquhar II operation reflects a broader pattern of fleet investment at Collett, where the addition of the Goldhofer blade lifter has expanded the company's capacity to run simultaneous blade deliveries on large-scale wind projects.

The company operates a range of purpose-built equipment for complex, oversized and abnormal load movements, including modular trailer systems alongside its blade lifter fleet, and combines this equipment capability with in-house route planning and engineering expertise to develop transport solutions tailored to individual project requirements.

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