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Indexed Under: Air Lift Truck

Seeking Air Lift Truck? We Would Like To Give You A Bit Of Perhaps Needed Inspiration Regarding Lift Bucket Repairs, Upgrades And Options

Even though you are investigating Air Lift Truck, this subject of thought is well worth putting on the safety/operations agenda of your company:

While a body shop or a custom molder of fiberglass medium-to-large shell type structures like a boat hull or container make a repair look professional on the surface, they will likely not have people with the specific, detailed knowledge needed to make aerial lift components truly safe. Nor will they likely have the economic and risk management resources that are needed by most reputable operators like product liability insurance.

Air Lift Truck


[Added note: For those searching for Air Lift Truck, please do tell the right people.]



Looking at the situation , these are some of the issues:

  • The requirements for insulating capabilities of upper booms and lower boom insulators and what affects the performance of those insulating capabilities in the environments through which the boom must operate in as safe a manner as is possible.
  • The structural strength requirements for fiberglass upper booms and lower boom insulators .
  • Sometimes the final line of defense in preventing electrocution is the bucket itself. And, this critical, baseline ability must be checked during any refurbishment.
  • One of the most critical aspects of the repair is the 100% dependable linkage of the bucket and the boom.


    • If You Are Already Thinking About Air Lift Truck, It Is A Short Step Over To An An Effective Evaluation Of Vendor Capabilities


    With all that is at stake with human lift applications, there is a lot to consider, so the following questions should be asked of any company that claims authority for aerial manlift fiberglass work:
  • Does the product liability insurance carrier used by this group know that it is doing repair or replacement work on aerial manlift components?
  • For those who actually do the work, they should have the proper training and carry the proper certifications. A notable source for this type of accreditation is known as the CCT certification of the American Composites Manufacturing Association.


    • There are other steps that should be taken, if one was serious about this potential problem.:
  • Aerial man lifts are a very specialized subset of the fiberglass products industry. Are those who are doing the repair specialists or very familiar with this application?
  • Insulation continuity can be disturbed by the repair process itself. Therefore a post-check must be performed. This of course presumes that Air Lift Truck-related needs have electrical insulation properties.


    • Further Than Air Lift Truck: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way To Deal With Them


    Look here to see how this might play out.

    Just Doing Your Job May Mean Taking A Bit Of Extra Time


    Scenario: The repair facility is shipped the upper boom section for basic rehab and potential resurfacing. 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 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. 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 should occur. It should then be sealed and protected for shipping.




    An upper boom that has clearly sustained some damage is delivered.
    1. The cracks should be reviewed using the repair manual guidelines of the manufacturer. It will probably be necessary to sand the coating off the boom to evaluate the cracks. If the cracks are judged to be repairable, the repairer should provide a detailed work plan including time and materials so that the owner can compare that to the cost of a new boom.

    2. If approved, 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 checking for any problems.

    3. 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


    There are not a lot of backup systems with a bucket style lift mechanism, especially when it concerns 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 that supported these mounting rods.
  • It is apparent that no amount of reinforcement would make for a safe operating condition for the operator.

    • This One Involves The Fiberglass Mounting Holes Themselves

    Here is how this encounter unfolded:

    1. A bucket is received for repair. It mounts to the lift arm via a section of the bucket in which a covering material made of glass fibers in resins creates a housing for the connecting hardware.
    2. An initial examination of the mounting holes in the ribs reveals that there are cracks in the ribs.
    3. The bucket probably should not be repaired

    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. In most cases, the latter option is chosen.

    3. A quotation for the cost of the repair should then be given to the customer, the customer needs to express their wishes and wants back first, and then the appropriate repair action should be taken.

    Tags: Air Lift Truck