Major
Areas This Search Applies To: Altec Boom
A Field Note: Granted While You Are Mostly Concerned With Altec Boom - For Your Information There Exists Instruction On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades Dependable
Introduction: While you may not have thought about it
much (or even really considered it) in your search
for Altec Boom, this alternate topic has generated viable explorations by many into other
areas of inquiry. What
follows is an example of one of these issues that you may
need to consider in the future:
When there is damage to a lift truck bucket, a
temptation to make the repair as cheaply 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
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, as an
example, be breaks in the electrical insulating
properties of the bucket that are created during type of repair. While this may or may not seem important to those
who are currently investigating Altec Boom, this issue is
critical enough that it is our profound hope and
counsel that you forward it to those
whose primary task is the maintenance of
bucket truck lift mechanisms. Titles may include
safety officer, maintenance and repair, field operations,
training, general management or even the legal
department.
Looking at the situation , these are some of the
issues:
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.
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.
A certain component for
preservation of human life is the 100% dependable linkage of the
bucket and the boom.
More Than Altec 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 being considered for aerial manlift
fiberglass work:
Can they prove that they
have liability insurance that is specifically
underwritten for the risks associated with bucket
truck lift repair area?
Are any of its people certified by the American
Composites Manufacturing Association as Certified
Composites Technicians?
Here are
some other considerations as well:
Is the company familiar
with the special needs of fiberglass components in aerial
man lift units?
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 potential for dangerous
circuit completion that could effect the operator. (For
situations relating specifically to Altec Boom, a consultation
with those in your organization who actually purchased your aerial lift products are a
good idea to gain their perspective on this important
checking phase.)
Moving
Away From Altec Boom: How Repairs Can And Should
Unfold
Let us take a look at
some steps a
qualified repair facility would typically undergo. 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.
We have seen
all of these situations come into being.
Sometimes You Have
To Look A Bit Deeper Because ,
There Is Often Not Much That Is Apparent
Here we find that a boom
section shows up to do a general check-over and servicing. A
lower end repair shop may do no more than 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 - 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 and additions of protective coatings.
Final electrical testing to ensure no part of the
process caused any issues/problems.
Documentations and certifications of all tests and
servicing done.
Highly protective packaging and attachment of
certifications prior to shipping.
Here Is A Time When More Care Is Needed From The
Very Beginning,
The top most section of a telescoping lift arm with some apparent cracks is delivered for evaluation.
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. The repairer
should provide a detailed work plan including time and materials .
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.
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
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. There are
various ways that this main support can be
accomplished. 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 likely return this
conveyance to a safe operating condition for the
operator.
This One Involves The Fiberglass Mounting Holes
Themselves
A glimpse into this particular
case:
1. A bucket is received for repair. The bucket mount consists of vertical
fiberglass ribs protruding from one side of the bucket.
2. An initial examination of the mounting holes in the ribs reveals that there are cracks in the ribs at the location of the holes.
3. The
bucket probably should not be repaired
Where It Looks Worse
Than It Is
Now, a more normal state is when field
use has not yet pushed the item out of its service
range. Consider a series of
material separations on the edges of the bucket retainer,
but no apparent problems with the actual bucket-boom
connection area. It is very likely that this apparatus
can be returned to many years of active service-
depending of course upon the loading and general
treatment of the restraint in the field. In this
case, providing levels of pricing for each approach
action, structural only or structural plus
cosmetic, is the appropriate response.
Tags: Altec Boom
