Aerial Bucket Trucks
A Field Note: We Admit
That There May Be More Directly Related Information
To Aerial Bucket Trucks - The Following Is Provided Because There Exists Practically Gathered Knowledge On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades Within The Reach Of Any
Organization
Introduction: While you may not have thought about it
much (or even really considered it) in your search
for Aerial Bucket Trucks, this alternate topic has triggered
questions by many into other
areas of inquiry. Here we detail one of these:
Since there
are times when these devices are in extremely high
demand, a
temptation to make the repair as fast as
possible is always there. There are many ways to cosmetically repair the bucket
that leave the lift truck owner open to potential
catastrophes. For instance, physical repairs must
take into account the underlying structure. If damage has
been done there and is merely patched over (or dealt
with in any less than structurally responsible manner)
by a repair source such as a body shop, mechanical/engine
repair or even a custom molder, then the bucket could
give way at a critical time it is being loaded, often
high above the ground. There can be breaks in the electrical insulating
properties of the bucket that are created during a
surface only type of repair. And finally, if the
repairing company does not carry insurance for this
specific type of application, liability for any accident
could rest solely upon the bucket truck owner/operator.
While this may or may not seem important to those
who are currently investigating Aerial Bucket Trucks, we suggest you forward it to those
responsible.
It is apparent,
this is not something that can be put in the category of
basic mechanical repair or restoration. It is
incumbent upon any operator to approach this situation
with more than simple production goals. So, some of
the special considerations involved in fiberglass repairs
and rebuilds of aerial manlift components
include:
The requirements for insulating
capabilities of upper booms and lower boom insulators .
How strength must be retained
in the fiberglass boom insulators
While there are no formal
standards, the lift bucket itself does provide
electrical insulation, so a check of these properties is
an important part of the repair.
Specifications must be
strictly followed for the reliable union of the bucket
and the telescoping or articulated arm.
More Than Aerial Bucket Trucks: 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 being considered 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?
Have the
workers been adequately trained and experienced for this type of work,
carrying the appropriate certifications
such as those offered by the ACMA?
There are other steps that
should be taken, if one was serious about this potential
problem. A competent selection process for any
supplying repair/restoration vendor of this type should
also cover:
Is the company familiar
with the special needs of fiberglass components in aerial
man lift units?
Electrical insulation continuity
can be disturbed by the repair process itself. Therefore
a post-check must be performed, again by an approved
testing device that itself has been calibrated. This
of course presumes that Aerial Bucket Trucks-related needs have
electrical insulation properties. If you are unsure,
the owners manual is a great place to start
checking.
Further Than Aerial Bucket Trucks: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way
To Deal With Them
Look here to see how this might play
out.
No Obvious
Damage, Now What?
Here we find that a boom
section shows up to do a general check-over and servicing. A
lower end repair shop may do a basic
visual inspection and little else. However,
when the real uses of the component are considered by
a specialist, its clear they have a mandate that would do
more, including the following items:
Communication with - and gaining permission - from
the entity in authority before commencing
repairs.
A thorough cleaning inside and outside, followed by a
visual inspection into the inner cavity of the boom itself.
Initial dielectric testing to determine unwanted
continuity.
Load or stress testing.
Resurfacing.
Final electrical testing.
Publishing and
notification to the customer of all tests and
servicing done.
Highly protective packaging to endure shipment.
A Package Arrives
With An Obvious Cause For Concern
Here we have again received
the uppermost member of the support boom. It has fractures that have been flagged in the field and also are confirmed by an initial visual inspection. There
is usually a cosmetic and visual coating on the boom
itself. This protective layer should be
stripped off and a full end to end inspection made
both on the outside, and inside. At this point the
potential harm from the fissures need to be determined if
they can be repaired and the boom
restored to full and safe operation. This is done by
consulting what the manufacturer has declared proper, and
also comparing the damage to the capabilities of the
repair materials. These typically include physical
reinforcement, using similar OEM products and suitable
bonding materials which are impregnated into the repair
base. There will be a suitable timeframe for these
materials to setup and reach their full operational
resistance and use. At that point in time, a full
mechanical stress/tension test needs to be performed at
over the rated loading for the boom section. This
must be done on calibrated
equipment that can be shown to measure and record the
amount of loading placed on the repaired member.
Appropriate electrical testing would follow the same
pattern, but this done
after surface finishing or layers are restored. Full
documentation needs to accompany the device back to its
owner/user.
A Case Where The Risk Is Too High
When there is
a potentially
non-repairable defect, it is tempting to fix
it. For instance, we have witnessed an operator boom bucket where the actual bucket mounting bolts have pulled away from the supporting laminations in the bucket. This is a repair that may be effected in some way by recompressing and then
gluing or remolding the mounting into the fiberglass layers. Repair in this
situation is not likely to produce a safe, dependable
platform. These connections, which hold the bucket
to the boom, are primary and must be an integrated
part of the platform integrity. Our professional
opinon would be to opt out of any type of attempts to return this item to the field.
Structural
Issues
Another
situation is when the
actual
bucket base material is formed into reinforced arches
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. If
this is the case, it is more than a concern for the
safety conscious operator. 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.
A fiberglass lift platform comes into this particular shop:
1. The
mount side is not damaged, but the front corners are
cracked through.
2. The
repairer should determine whether the customer just wants
the bucket repaired structurally or wants the bucket to
also be refinished to a like-new condition. In most
cases, the latter option is chosen.
3. A quotation for the cost of the
repair should then be given to the customer, and then the appropriate repair action should
be taken.
Tags: Aerial Bucket Trucks
