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Brought Here By Aerial Lift Trucks
A Field Note: To
Accompany Aerial Lift Trucks - For Your Information There Exists (We Hope Helpful) Advice On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades Within The Reach Of Any
Organization
Even though you are investigating
Aerial Lift Trucks, this
subject of thought
is well worth
putting on the safety/operations agenda of your
company:
While a
non-certified or
specifically-experienced
body shop or a custom molder
of fiberglass
medium-to-large shell type
structures like a boat hull or container
may have
capable and skilled craftsmen who can
make a
repair look
almost immaculate in
appearance,
often the group
can't guarantee the
aerial
lift components truly safe (enough to really protect
the lineman). Nor will they likely have the
product liability insurance.
[Added
note:
Understandably, even
though the priority is for
Aerial Lift Trucks,
the information below should
be passed on to your service-repair
organization.]
So, if you find yourself facing these types of
refurbishments,here is what needs to be
addressed in a competent and
devotedly 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 structural strength requirements for
fiberglass upper booms and lower boom insulators in
view of the special stresses to which these items are
subjected.
The real insulating
capabilities provided by the fiberglass bucket
itself, although the bucket is not officially
recognized for insulating capability by ANSI
A92.2.
Correct boom-bucket mounting
procedure.
You Have Considered Aerial Lift Trucks,
So Now How Do You Restore A Lift?
So what capabilities are needed for the
entity that can safely complete a bucket truck lift
repair?
Is there any way of verifying that they currently
have the full level and type of liability insurance that is specifically
underwritten for the after
repair problems that can occur with regard to bucket
truck lift repair area?
Have the
workers been adequately trained and experienced for this type of work,
carrying the appropriate certifications
such as those proffered by the ACMA?
There are other steps that
should be taken, if one was serious about this potential
problem.:
Is the company familiar
with the special needs of fiberglass components in aerial
man lift units?
Insulation continuity
can be disturbed by the repair process itself. Therefore
a post-check must be performed. This
of course presumes that Aerial Lift Trucks-related needs have
electrical insulation properties.
Further Than Aerial Lift Trucks: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way
To Deal With Them
Look here to see how this might play
out.
No Obvious
Damage
Scenario: The repair facility is shipped the
upper boom section that connects to the worker
basket for basic rehab . Most shops should include a cleaning. This enables correct dielectric
testing, which should be done. If problems crop up, further
physical/electrical testing operations should be done with
such equipment as a conductivity meter. 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 consulted directly from the lift platform
OEM and the
damage evaluated against those guidelines. If there
are specific remedies suggested by those
guidelines that may require extra effort, the
customer should be consulted. Structural testing is next. If it
withstands this test and 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.
An Obvious Cause For Concern
We will continue with
boom repairs since a failure at that level can be
catastrophic. Here we have again received
the uppermost member of the support boom. It has fractures confirmed by an initial visual inspection. There
is usually a cosmetic and visual coating on the boom
itself. In order to ensure that all damage can be
identified, this protective layer should be
stripped off and inspection made
both on the outside, and also on the hollow
inner core of the boom itself. 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. 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, as noted above, on calibrated
equipment .
Appropriate electrical testing would follow the same
pattern, but this is done
after surface finishing or layers are restored. Full
documentation needs to accompany the device back to its
owner/user.
Potentially Unfortunate Outcomes
1. A bucket is received for
repair.
2. The bucket mount consists of a
number of studs protruding from the bucket wall. One
of the studs is coming out of the side wall.
3.
The bucket probably should not be repaired because of
concerns about the possibility of the bucket later coming
loose from the boom.
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, the recommendation to the owner would be for replacement rather than remanufacture or some other type of restorative repair.
Where It Looks Worse
Than It Is
A fiberglass lift platform comes into this particular shop:
1. The
mount side is not damaged, but the front corners are
cracked through. With proper techniques and
materials, the bucket can be repaired.
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.
3. An
estimate is made first, the
customer needs to express their wishes and wants back
first, and then the appropriate repair action should
be taken.
Tags: Aerial Lift Trucks
