Seeking Aerial Boom? We Would
Like To Give You A Bit
Of Perhaps Needed Inspiration Regarding
Lift Platform Repairs, Upgrades And Accessories
Even though you are investigating
Aerial Boom, this
area that has become visible
to so many others
(which may become a focus of attention for the
industry as a whole)
may come up as well:
While a
body shop or a custom molder
of fiberglass
medium-to-large shell type
structures like a boat hull or container
could certainly
have the skills inventory
make a
repair look
cosmetic or artistically acceptable,
they will likely not have people with
the specific, detailed knowledge needed to make
aerial
lift components truly safe (enough to really protect
the lineman). Nor will they likely have the
economic and risk management resources that are
needed by most reputable operators like
product liability insurance.
[Added
note:
Understandably, even
though the priority is for
Aerial Boom,
please do
tell the right people.]
So, if you find yourself facing these types of
refurbishments, in a competent and
decidedly rigorous manner:
What the official
specifications are for making sure the upper boom is
dielectrically separated from the lower boom, and how
this separation can be compromised.
The level of tension and damage the insulators for the upper and lower boom can safely withstand without compromising their insulation properties.
The real insulating
capabilities provided by the fiberglass bucket
itself.
Correct boom-bucket mounting
procedure.
More Than Aerial Boom: The Critical Assessment Of The
Abilities Of A Repair Facility For The Most Important Fixup
You'll Ever Do
The following questions should be asked
of any company that claims authority for aerial manlift
fiberglass work:
Does the company carry product
liability insurance that can fully support any
errors that might be made in providing aerial lift repair?
Are the
personnel technically competent for this type of work,
with a bonified record of testing and/or
credentials
such as those offered by the ACMA?
In addition
to the above, points to also review
include:
The components in aerial man lift units must perform
as life preserving conveyances with high levels of
criticality, often beyond other uses for fiberglass. Does
this supplier understand this unusual way of applying
fiberglass?
In addition to maintaining
physical integrity, after a repair has been made, a final
electrical insulation test should be performed to ensure
that the refurbishment process has not also created a literal and figurative potential for dangerous
circuit completion that could effect the operator. (For
situations relating specifically to Aerial Boom, a consultation
with those in your organization who actually purchased your aerial lift products are a
good idea to gain their perspective.)
Beyond Aerial Boom:
Examples of Specific Component Repair/Rebuild Issues and
How the Repair Company Should Handle Them
Let us take a look at
some steps a
qualified repair facility would typically undergo. With
broadly interpreting them, you can get a grasp of the
best practices of repair.
The bottom line is as a manufacturer of
buckets, we have seen
all of these situations come into being.
Sometimes You Have
To Look A Bit Deeper
Scenario: The repair facility is shipped the
upper boom section for basic rehab . Most shops should include a cleaning, particularly if there is noticeable dirt buildup inside
the actual boom. This enables correct dielectric
testing, following recommended
procedures. If problems crop up, further
operations should be done with
such equipment as a conductivity meter and/or an
ultrasonic tester. Problems should be noted for later
review with the owner. The boom
should be inspected to see if any type of cracks or dents or if it has suffered any type of noticeable harm. The specifications for that particular boom section
should be pulled from the manufacturer guidelines and the
damage evaluated against those guidelines. If there
are specific remedies suggested by those
guidelines, they should again be noted
for discussion with the owner. Structural testing is next. If no other issues are found, a
final waxing to protect the boom should occur.
It should then be sealed and protected for shipping with tamper-proof certifications with the results from the testing phases.
Here Is A Time When More Care Is Needed From The
Very Beginning, And The Training And Procedures
That Call For More Of A Specialist Organization
Touch
An upper boom with some apparent cracks is put in an inspection area for evaluation.
1. The cracks should be reviewed using the repair manual guidelines of the manufacturer and the judgment and experience of those doing the actual work. It will probably be necessary to sand the
coating off the boom to evaluate the cracks. The repairer
should estimate it so that the owner
can compare that to the cost of a new boom.
2. Once the go ahead to do the work is
received, the repair company
should complete the structural repairs using the proper reinforcement and resin, let the repairs cure, then do a structural test on the boom to make sure that the repair procedures worked.
3. The boom should then be cosmetically
refinished and dielectrically tested.
A Case Where The Risk Is Too High
There are not a lot of backup
systems with a bucket style lift mechanism, and that
goes double with the
attachment of the boom to the bucket itself. In this case:
The main attachment
was accomplished through threaded rods that are in
effect integrated into the side of the bucket.
From a visual inspection, it was clear
that there were fissures in the actual fiberglass
layering that surrounded and supported
these mounting rods.
Without even checking
further it is apparent that no amount of
reinforcement would make for a safe operating condition for the
operator.
Structural
Issues
The flip side of the above is when the
actual
bucket base material is formed into reinforced arches
into which studs or bolts are fitted that in turn
are used to connect the boom arm. When these mounts are cracked or badly worn, it
can compromise the actual boom mounting assembly. While there are repair
techniques that can be used, none will likely restore
this critical supporting assembly to a viable state.
Because this design depends heavily on both the integral
bonding of the mounting fixture into the supporting
fiberglass, again the recommendation to the owner would be for replacement rather than remanufacture or some other type of restorative repair.
So, the bottom line is there are cases where competent skills can be applied with good results:
Bucket displays no damage on the actual physical connection side of the
bucket
Yet you can see fissures, cracks or
other issues elsewhere.
Yes, this can be
saved.
So it is very appropriate for the repair
group to essentially ascertain it is safe to restore this component
Tags: Aerial Boom
