Industry: Wind Energy

Aerial Lift for Wind Turbine Blade Maintenance
The Wind Energy Industry
The wind energy industry has added significant power generating capacity over the past few years, and is growing every year. In fact, in 2016, 8,203 MW of wind capacity were added to the US grid. The industry itself is increasingly reliant upon truck-mounted aerial lifts to maintain the continuing safe and effective operation of wind turbines with hub heights of 80 meters. Often, blade repair and maintenance will be made to correct weather damage, damage from pollution, bird strikes or lightning strikes. Additionally, annual maintenance, cleaning and inspection must occur on every blade, on every turbine, in North America, and around the world. Highly stable in windy conditions (12.5 meters/second), at full working height and load, the Ruthmann aerial lift allows for work to continue efficiently. Ruthmann equipment stows very quickly: following notification of incoming inclement weather conditions, Ruthmann higher-reach wind energy aerial lifts are designed to return to their stowed travelling position in minutes. Also, these aerial lifts are as many as six times more efficient and productive than yesterday’s conventional approaches to wind turbine blade maintenance. The aerial lift capacity of Ruthmann products makes efficient and effective blade repair and maintenance much more likely, even at significant height. These aerial lifts are increasingly becoming some of the most important tools currently manufactured for inspecting and maintaining wind turbines and their blades.
With a family of distribution, parts and service centers, Versalift is dedicated to support our customers in the wind energy industry in keeping their aerial lift-equipped trucks on the road. Versalift supports wind energy maintenance fleets all around the world. At heights often exceeding 200 feet, it is essential that you are confident in your equipment, and this is doubly true when you aren’t sure what your tasks will be and at what heights your technicians will need to be working. This is why if you are responsible for maintaining and inspecting wind turbines, Versalift’s high-quality, safe and reliable catalog of transmission bucket trucks is an important piece of your strategy.
Aerial lifts are increasingly becoming some of the most important tools currently manufactured for inspecting and maintaining wind turbines
Versalift bucket trucks come in working heights that go all the way to 219’, and they can be customized in thousands of ways. One feature that comes standard on every Versalift bucket truck is ElectroGuard, which includes a 42” insulation gap that prevents electrical current from arcing from the boom to the pedestal. This is more than double the insulation gap length of our competitors, and it provides an example of how lineman safety is the most important component of our work. All Versalift Trucks come with ElectroGuard to protect those men on the ground from being burned or electrocuted. All of our Transmission bucket trucks also come with TruGuard, our patented upper control isolation system. TruGuard™ Safety System was initially launched in 2015, and then rebuilt and refined in 2016, ensuring that your transmission bucket truck is doing everything possible to make sure your linemen and technicians get home safely. Truguard™ patented technology allows hydraulic hoses to feed fluid through an insulation gap, giving you access to all controls and tool ports in the bucket itself while remaining dielectrically secure. At Versalift, all of our products are designed to exceed the dielectric testing of ANSI and OSHA. We work directly with you to design custom solutions that provide the tools and configurations to which you and your team are accustomed.
Versalift and Ruthmann: Partners in Excellence
Founded more than 50 years ago, Versalift has continued to deliver the safest, most reliable and highest quality bucket trucks and aerial lifts to its customers. In its close strategic relationship with Ruthmann, Versalift continues to deliver the world’s best aerial lifts around the world.
With a family of distribution, parts and service centers, Versalift is dedicated to supporting our customers in the wind energy industry in keeping their aerial lift-equipped trucks in service. Versalift is committed to supporting wind energy maintenance fleets around the world. At heights of 54 and 72 meters , it is essential that you are confident in your equipment. This is why if you are responsible for maintaining and inspecting wind turbines and blades, Versalift’s offering of Ruthmann aerial lifts is an important piece of your strategy.

Versalift Service
Versalift customer service is a point of pride within our family of distributors, and we all take ownership in providing it to you. We have grown to become a global leader in safety, reliability and overall quality in aerial lifts because we pay attention to detail and we take the time to put our customers first. We listen to you so that we can understand your concerns, and get you back on your way to the job as efficiently as possible. Our Versalift Global Partner Portal (VGPP) represents real innovation in our Service program because it allows each of our customers to manage, support and maintain their aerial lifts from a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. When inside the VGPP, you can access your aerial lift manual, order parts, schedule a maintenance call, or speak directly with a Versalift service representative.

Unique Ruthmann Features
The culture of innovation and quality at Versalift powers the work we do. Our strategic relationship with Ruthmann is so effective because we have shared priorities that begin with safety, reliability and overall quality. Some Ruthmann features that stand out to our customers include industry-leading side reach, exceptional working height to gross weight ratio, spacious working platform with up to 3.8 meters of width, and surprising smoothness and stability at maximum height and in flight.

Industry-leading side reach: Although industry-leading side reach is not applicable to wind turbine and blade maintenance, side reach is essential to construction, plant maintenance and dozens of other commercial applications.

Working height to gross weight ratio: Interstate travel and transport are made accessible with Ruthmann aerial lifts, with exceptional working height to gross weight ratios.

Spacious working platform: Ruthmann lifts can accommodate as many as seven technicians in one flight.

Surprising smoothness and stability at maximum height: Like Versalift, Ruthmann has earned its reputation for beautifully engineered aerial lifts.