The project at a glance
The customer is a wind farm developer erecting a series of turbines on an open plateau. Each turbine needs a tower, a nacelle at hub height, and three blades lifted and bolted at the top. The heaviest lift is the nacelle at hub height at a set radius from the crane pad. The tender asked for crawler cranes that held the nacelle lift at that radius within the wind window, and could move between turbine pads on schedule. We supplied the YTQU100HDS from the crawler crane range.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Site | Open plateau wind farm |
| Heaviest lift | Nacelle at hub height, fixed radius |
| Wind window | Per crane load chart |
| Pad | Graded crane pad at each turbine |
| Supplied units | YTQU100HDS crawler cranes |
| Sequence | Tower, nacelle, blades |
The challenge: nacelle radius, wind window and pad prep
Size to the heaviest lift. The nacelle is the heaviest lift, at hub height at a set radius. The crane's load chart at that radius must cover the nacelle weight with margin. A crane too small for the nacelle radius cannot finish the job; one too large wastes cost on the lighter blade lifts.
Wind window. Blade and nacelle lifts are wind-sensitive. The crew lifts in the wind window the load chart allows and stands down beyond it. That window sets the erection schedule, so the crane has to be ready to lift the moment the window opens.
Crane pad. A crawler crane needs a graded, stable pad at full counterweight for each turbine. Ground prep before the crane arrives is part of the lift plan; a soft pad delays the lift.
The solution: YTQU100HDS matched to the nacelle radius
We spec'd the YTQU100HDS around the nacelle's weight and lift radius at hub height, with load-chart margin for the plateau wind. The crane lifts the tower sections first, then the nacelle, then the three blades in sequence. For smaller turbines where a lighter crane covers the radius, the YTQU75HDS suits the lighter lift class. The full hoisting range is on the hoisting equipment page.
Because each turbine has its own pad, the crane moves between pads on schedule. The pad prep and the lift sequence are planned together so the crane is never waiting on a graded pad, and the pad is never wasted by a crane not yet rigged.
The results: lifts inside the chart, erection on schedule
Across the wind farm, the crawler cranes lifted towers, nacelles and blades within the rated radius and the allowed wind window. The nacelle lifts stayed inside the load-chart margin, and the blade lifts went up in the open wind window. The erection sequence completed on schedule, with stand-downs only when the wind exceeded the chart limit rather than from crane capacity shortfalls.
The erection superintendent noted that the cranes "held the nacelle at radius and lifted the blades when the wind window opened." On a wind farm, that is the result: every lift is inside the chart, and the crew uses every available wind window. The pad-and-lift planning meant the crane moved on the schedule rather than waiting on ground prep.
Why the developer chose Yutong
The tender came down to nacelle radius, wind-window readiness and mobility between pads. First, the YTQU100HDS covered the nacelle lift at the working radius with margin. Second, the crane was ready to lift when the wind window opened, so no window was wasted. Third, the crane moved between graded pads on schedule. The developer now has a repeatable spec: size the crane to the nacelle radius, prep the pad before the crane arrives, and lift only inside the load-chart wind window.
For wind farm developers, start from the nacelle weight, hub height and the crane-pad radius, plus the plateau wind, then size the crane. The crawler crane range is on the heavy-duty crawler crane page, and the hoisting category overview is on the hoisting equipment page.
Frequently asked questions
Why size the crane to the heaviest lift?
The nacelle is the heaviest lift at hub height at a set radius. The load chart at that radius must cover it with margin, so the crane is sized to the nacelle rather than the lighter blades.
How is the wind window handled?
Blade and nacelle lifts are wind-sensitive. The crew lifts in the wind window the load chart allows and stands down beyond it; that window sets the erection schedule.
How is the crane pad planned?
A crawler crane needs a graded, stable pad at full counterweight for each turbine. Ground prep before the crane arrives is part of the lift plan.
What were the erection results?
The cranes lifted towers, nacelles and blades within the rated radius and wind window, completing the sequence on schedule with no overload stand-down beyond planned weather.
Spec a crawler crane for your wind project
Send us the nacelle weight, hub height, crane-pad radius and site wind conditions, and our hoisting engineering team will match a crawler crane across the Yutong range. We export to over 60 countries on FOB or CIF terms with the full customs document set.