Giant golf balls

**ordinary** · June-30-10, 01:05 PM

Lately I've been driving from the west side to the Marine City area on I-94 and everyday I've been seeing some flatbed semi trucks loaded with these bowling-ball-sized dimpled golf-ball-looking spheres. Has anybody seen these trucks? Any idea what those things are? Just curious.

**DanFromDetroit** · June-30-10, 01:15 PM

Just a guess - Wind turbine housings?

Retroit · June-30-10, 01:15 PM

I think Jjaba would concur that they have bigger balls on the west side.

**ptero** · June-30-10, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Retroit

I think Jjaba would concur that they have bigger balls on the west side.

Seems like he got kissed enough!!!

**daddeeo** · June-30-10, 01:56 PM

Are they from Mr. Mathis of DPS fame?

**Detroitnerd** · June-30-10, 02:25 PM

Breaker 1-9, my 20 near Jarhead City, I see a skateboard riding with king-sized smackin' pills. Am I checkin' my eyes for pinholes? Over.

**Johnlodge** · June-30-10, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by DanFromDetroit

Just a guess - Wind turbine housings?

Bowling ball sized wind turbines?

**Jimaz** · June-30-10, 02:55 PM

Radomes?

I assume they were white.

**ordinary** · June-30-10, 04:14 PM

I knew I was going to see some interesting replies.

Danfromdetroit, Maybe but they seemed pretty small. Maybe they were bearings or something for the wind turbines.

Jimaz, No, they were black or dark gray. I don't think they were radomes.

Retroit · June-30-10, 04:52 PM

Maybe there's a shortage of big black balls in Marine City.

**Jimaz** · June-30-10, 05:00 PM

LOL! Quite the mystery we have here.

**MikeM** · June-30-10, 05:52 PM

Which way were they headed - east or west? And they were as small as a bowling ball but shipped without being in a container?

**DetroitPlanner** · June-30-10, 08:30 PM

All I can think of is if I had to drive from the west side to Marine City everyday, I'd move to Marine City!

**leland_palmer** · June-30-10, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by DanFromDetroit

Just a guess - Wind turbine housings?

Probably. I saw 1 blade traveling north on 696 and another one going east on 696 last week.

Retroit · June-30-10, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by leland_palmer

Probably. I saw 1 blade traveling north on 696 and another one going east on 696 last week.

**fryar** · June-30-10, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by leland_palmer

Probably. I saw 1 blade traveling north on 696 and another one going east on 696 last week.

Seriously, those travel 1 to a truck?

Anyway, back to the balls jokes...

**Meddle** · July-01-10, 01:23 AM

Is there a reactor or any kind of weapons storage out there that they might be moving nuclear fuel or waste to or from?

**Searay215** · July-01-10, 06:55 AM

I saw a blade headed north on I94....there is a wind farm being built in the thumb. I hate those things. I used to think it was a good clean way to get energy until I went to this site and saw what it does to animals and humans.
http://www.wind-watch.org/video-fenner-wethersfield.php

**Johnlodge** · July-01-10, 07:34 AM

Originally Posted by fryar

Seriously, those travel 1 to a truck?

Anyway, back to the balls jokes...

Yes, they do travel one to a truck. And are an oversized load when they do. Each blade is enormous, I passed a convoy of them on I-94 out of state last week. Managed to snap this picture of one of them.

**jcole** · July-01-10, 07:54 AM

I was driving through Iowa last summer and saw a convoy of them on I-80. I guess they have a course at Iowa Lakes Community College in Wind Energy and Turbine Technology where they teach how to build, maintain and operate them.

**ordinary** · July-01-10, 06:05 PM

MikeM,
They were headed east. They were on some kind of racks which were chained down. I think the truck had an oversize load sign on the back.

**Jimaz** · July-01-10, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by ordinary

MikeM,
They were headed east. They were on some kind of racks which were chained down. I think the truck had an oversize load sign on the back.

There's a clue. Oversize load sign for things bowling-ball sized? That means they must have been connected somehow into a larger assembly, right?

I'm still thinking it's some kind of antenna.

**Sstashmoo** · July-01-10, 06:59 PM

A pic would really help here.

Some guesses:

Some sort of fuel cell or carbon fiber pressure vessel?
A flotation device for, maybe an oil boom in the gulf?
Some sort of dry chemical pressed into a sphere for measurement and use, like chlorine, for ponds or waste treatment etc.? Or possibly herbicide for the lake grasses??

Maybe some rich guy that likes golf is having these cast from cement and he's using them for a seawall??

They have a surface with dimples, maybe they contain transmitters and will be used some how to map airflow??

Will be interesting if we find out what they are..

**Sstashmoo** · July-01-10, 07:06 PM

Quote: "There's a clue. Oversize load sign for things bowling-ball sized?"

I wondered that to, when that is factored in it really becomes puzzling. Sometimes drivers leave those signs on, even if not needed.

Going with these are connected in an assembly, yeah maybe an antenna, or possibly some sort of multi-staged insulator for high voltages.