Indexed Under: Articulating Boom Lift
A Field Note: Even If You Are Really Wanting Information On Articulating Boom Lift - For Your Information There Exists Practically Gathered Knowledge On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades A More Cost Effective But Safe
Item
Introduction: While you may not have thought about it
much (or even really considered it) in your search
for Articulating Boom Lift, this alternate topic has triggered
questions by many into other related
areas of inquiry. Here we detail one of these:
When there is damage to a lift truck bucket, a
temptation to make the repair as cheaply as
possible is always there. That choice can have tragic consequences.
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 a
surface only type of repair. While this may or may not seem important to those
who are currently investigating Articulating Boom Lift, 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.
So, if you find yourself facing these types of
refurbishments, in a competent and
unambiguously 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.
Sometimes
the final line of defense in preventing electrocution is
the bucket itself. And while there are no formal
standards for this level of dielectric separation,
this ability must be checked
during any refurbishment.
Correct boom-bucket mounting
procedure.
More Than Articulating Boom Lift: The Critical Assessment Of The
Abilities Of A Repair Facility For The Most Important Fixup
You'll Ever Do
So what capabilities are needed ?
Does the company carry product
liability insurance specifically for
doing aerial lift repair?
Have the
workers been adequately trained and experienced for this type of work,
with a bonified record of testing and/or
credentials
such as those offered by the ACMA?
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:
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?
How does a customer know
if the insulating properties of bucket and boom have been
maintained during repair? By using an approved testing
device. In this situation it becomes the next
evaluation point to check. (Again, we realize your direct interest is in Articulating Boom Lift ,so there may be varying levels of need for this.
Further Than Articulating Boom Lift: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way
To Deal With Them
It is
often helpful to understand where and how these
challenges may come about. Please do not let the hypothetical
nature of these examples deter you. A competent process would
embody most of the illustrations we have
included.
No Obvious
Damage
Here we find that a boom
section shows up with little or no instruction from the owner except - to do a general check-over and servicing. A
lower end repair shop may do a basic
visual inspection and little else. However,
one that
is familiar with the gravity of the need would do
more, including the following items:
Communication with - and gaining permission - prior to any charges being incurred.
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 (the manufacturer specifications should be consulted prior to the test).
Resurfacing and additions of protective coatings.
Final electrical testing.
Publishing and
notification to the customer of all tests and
servicing done.
Highly protective packaging to endure shipment.
An upper boom with some apparent cracks is received 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. If the
cracks are judged to be repairable, the repairer
should estimate it 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, then do a structural test on the boom checking for any problems.
3. The boom should then be cosmetically
refinished and dielectrically tested and returned to
the owner.
When It Is Not Safe To
Even Consider Repair
1. A bucket is received for
repair.
2. The bucket mount consists of a
number of studs protruding from the bucket wall. A simple
inspection reports a bolt from this assembly has punched
through the side of the operator area.
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
While the
owner ultimately makes the call as to repair, they
need good advice. In effect the risk management falls on whoever
at the customer is managing this function. So here is
a piece of advice we gave.
Buckets can be
attached by creating an assembly out of the actual
fiberglass, formed from thick, redundant layers of
resin and the glass strands.
Gaps where material has pulled apart
can form in these attachment
points.
When something like this happens, it is pretty difficult to make sure
that the deterioration can be turned around enough to ensure the operator of the the equipment will not be
compromised.
A competent facility would recommend replacement.
A Bucket Or
Similar Item For Repair That Has Cosmetic Damage And
Yet Remains Remarkably Sound Otherwise
In fact there are many cases
where good refurbishment practices can save an operator a
lot of money over using an OEM or aftermarket
replacement lift replacement part .So, there are cases where competent skills can be applied on an aftermarket basis with good results such as in this case:
Bucket comes in
with no problems with the boom coupling
mechanism.
Yet you can see fissures, cracks or
other issues elsewhere.
Yes, this can be
saved. Question: Does the department in authority want to have something that merely works , ?
So moving forward with any
refurbishment is a go or no go decision, and really
depends on the economics of both options, ,
and to await further instruction.
Tags: Articulating Boom Lift
