Indexed Under: Aerial Lift Of
Here Are The Essentials On Lift
Truck Bucket Reconditioning/Replacement With
Aerial Lift Of
It is
interesting that while often
checking into Aerial Lift Of, there are previously unaware
managers who have asked about the following as well:
It is true that you may be able to go to
someone who works with fiberglass in many other
roles, they generally may
not provide the best protection over the long-haul.
For instance, there are both structural needs and electrical insulating properties. Plus
legal/monetary risks they can't support. (For
those doing an analysis of Aerial Lift Of, the comments contained
within this article may be more applicable to to whomever
carries the responsibility for field vehicle
operations.)
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:
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.
How strength must be retained
in the fiberglass boom insulators, no matter how much
working abuse and loads they are subjected
to.
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.
One of the most critical
aspects of the repair is the 100% dependable linkage of the
bucket and the boom.
You Have Considered Aerial Lift Of,
So Now How Do You Restore A Lift?
The following questions should be asked
of any company that claims authority for aerial manlift
fiberglass work:
Is there any way of verifying that they currently
have the full level and type of liability insurance that is specifically
underwritten for the risks associated with bucket
truck lift repair area?
Like any
professional, those who
actually do the work, they should have the proper
training and carry the proper certifications. One that is helpful is the CCT certification of
the American Composites Manufacturing Association.
Also to be evaluated:
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?
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 Lift Of-related needs have
electrical insulation properties. If you are unsure,
the owners manual is a great place to start
checking.
Beyond Aerial Lift Of:
Examples of Specific Component Repair/Rebuild Issues and
How the Repair Company Should Handle Them
Here are some real world situations that occur. They
are instructive because they illustrate the steps a
qualified repair facility would typically undergo in
order to ensure safe and proper repair of the bucket and
boom parts under question. While the situations
they represent may seem a bit one dimensional, by
broadly interpreting them, you can get a grasp of the
best practices of repair that should be applied.
The bottom line is as a manufacturer of
buckets, and a re-manufacturer of booms, we have seen
all of these situations come into being.
Just Doing Your Job May Mean Taking A Bit Of Extra
Time
Your local fiberglass rehab
supplier is contacted. Through either shipping or
pickup, they are in possession of an
upper boom in fairly good condition for surface
refinishing and rehabilitation. Here are the
steps:
1. Start to visually examine the boom for any evidence
of damage. Any such evidence should be compared with
boom damage criteria shown in the OEM manual. Any
problems require the action indicated in the manual.
2. If the boom is dirty inside, the shop should
ask permission to pressure wash
the inside. should
then be dielectrically tested . If there is a dielectric
problem, the boom should be analyzed with a conductivity
tester to identify the problem. If the
analysis reveals a problem, the company should call the
owner.
3. If there are no additional problems, the boom
should be cosmetically repaired and refinished as needed.
4. Then, the boom should be dielectrically tested
again and structurally tested. If no flaws are
found, the boom should be waxed properly to help
shed water and dirt, to ensure its insulating effect,
and shipped back to the owner. The final phase is
creating some type of secure package in which it is
placed .
An Obvious Cause For Concern
The top most section of a telescoping lift arm with some apparent cracks is received for evaluation.
1. The cracks should be reviewed using the repair manual guidelines of the manufacturer. The repairer
should estimate it .
2. Once the go ahead to do the work is
received, the repair company
should complete the structural repairs, then do a structural test on the boom to make sure that the repair procedures worked.
3. If the repairs are
acceptable, the boom should then be cosmetically
refinished and dielectrically tested.
Using An Instructive
Example To Illustrate The Dangers Of Proceeding With
Improper Repair And Returning A Component To Full Field
Use
When there is
a potentially
non-repairable defect, there may be pressure on the repair entity to attempt
servicing even when the results would be marginal. There are many scenarios where this is very
clearly the wrong choice. 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 the mounting into the fiberglass laminations as perhaps someone might effect a repair on a boat . These connections, which hold the bucket
to the boom, are primary and must be an integrated
part of the platform integrity. The most responsible action in this
casewould be to reject the item for repair.
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. 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, there are cases where competent skills can be applied with good results such as in this case:
Bucket comes in
with no problems on the actual physical connection side of the
bucket
However, there is deterioration
on non-supporting side like stresses, localized
pulling apart, etc.
So moving forward with any
refurbishment is a go or no go decision, weighing the economics of both options, and making the first contact with their assessment of the
situation to whomever has sent them the component,
and to await further instruction.
Tags: Aerial Lift Of
