Seeking Altec Bucket Trucks? We Would
Like To Give You A Bit
Of Perhaps Needed Inspiration Regarding
Lift Platform Repairs, Upgrades And Add-On Types Of Equipment To
Best Serve You And Your Equipment
It is
interesting that many have found while often
checking into Altec Bucket Trucks, there are those 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 for
the user or the company owning the aerial lift truck.
For instance, there are both structural needs and (where
applicable) electrical insulating properties. Plus
legal/monetary risks they can't support. Moreover, it can be a tremendous
problem for a larger operation that has more exposure
over time because of higher volume of activityand the
resulting revenue it can generate. (For
those doing an analysis of Altec Bucket Trucks, the comments contained
within this article may be more applicable to to whomever
carries the responsibility for field vehicle
operations.)
Looking at the situation , these are some of the
issues that this type of repair requires:
What are the
technical needs to safely insulate the two sections of
the boom from one another.
The structural strength requirements for
fiberglass upper booms and lower 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.
The
requirements for structurally sound
mounting of the bucket to secure its attachment to
the boom..
More Than Altec 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 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. One that is helpful is 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. 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?
How does a customer know
if the insulating properties of bucket and boom have been
maintained during repair? By using an approved testing
device. (Again, we realize your direct interest is in Altec Bucket Trucks ,so there may be varying levels of need for this.
Moving
Away From Altec Bucket Trucks: How Repairs Can And Should
Unfold
Let us take a look at
some steps a
qualified repair facility would typically undergo. With
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.
No Obvious
Damage, Now What?
Your local fiberglass rehab
supplier is contacted. They are sent an
upper boom for surface
refinishing and rehabilitation. Here are the
steps:
1. Start to visually examine the boom for any evidence
of damage. 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. The boom should
then be dielectrically tested to make sure that it is
still dielectrically sound. If there is a dielectric
problem, the boom should be analyzed with a conductivity
meter to identify the problem. If the
analysis reveals a problem, the company should call the
ownerand discuss the steps needed to solve it.
3. If there is nothing else on the repair
agenda, the boom
should be cosmetically repaired and refinished as needed.
4. Then, the boom should be dielectrically tested
again and structurally tested. If it passes, the boom should be waxed ,
and shipped back to the owner. The final phase is
creating some type of secure package in which it is
placed along with certificates showing the results of
the dielectric and structural strength tests.
Here we have again received
the top
section of a structural support boom. It has fractures 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 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.
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.
Using An Instructive
Example To Illustrate The Dangers Of Proceeding With
Improper Repair And Returning A Component To Full Field
Use
1. A well used fiberglass enclosed operator containment platform comes in.
2. This particular design uses bolts to mount it to the arm. 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.
When The Basic Bonding Gives Way
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. It is determined that there are cracks in the ribs at the location of the holes.
3. The prudent determination which
should be reported back from the repair group: 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.
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: Altec Bucket Trucks
