XL Specialized Trailers has designed a solution for hauling longer wind turbine blades with its new BladeMate Flip Extension.

The Flip Extension can be added to the rear of XL’s BladeMate trailer or any blade hauling trailer. The final trailer length will depend on the model the flip extension is paired with.

For example, a 27-foot long Flip Extension will take XL’s BladeMate to a length of 211 feet. When moving the empty trailer, a driver can flip the Flip Extension up, retract he trailer and have a 53-foot long return trip to reduce permit costs.

The rear bolster, at the end of the Flip Extension, offers a 20,000-pound capacity, making it suitable as the rear-loading platform for the common two-point load set-up. The Flip Extension is secured with a lug and pin system, allowing the tail to be completely removed when it is not needed.

“As turbines get taller and the blades get longer, transporting them becomes even a greater challenge,” said Rodney Crim, vice president of sales at XL. “While there are many blade-hauling trailers on the road today, few can accommodate the new, longer blades. This solution will be very beneficial to our customers because they will not need to buy an entirely new trailer to accommodate the load.”