Major
Areas This Search Applies To: Boom Lift
A Field Note: We Understand That
This Topic May Not Be In Your Direct Area Of Boom Lift - For Your Information There Exists What We Hope Will Be High Priority
Facts On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades Dependable
While we certainly
respect the fact that you are spending your time on the
internet
(and possibly other places),
with a clear focus of attention at this time on
Boom Lift, this
area that has become visible
to so many others
(which may become a focus of attention for the
industry as a whole)
may come up as well:
While a
body shop or a custom molder
of fiberglass
parts
could certainly
have the skills inventory
make a
repair look
to make a favorable
impression on the uninitiated,
they will likely not have people with
the specific, detailed knowledge needed to make
aerial
lift components truly safe (enough to really protect
the lineman). Nor will they likely have the
product liability insurance.
[Added
note:
For those searching for
Boom Lift,
the information below should
be passed on to your service-repair
organization.]
Looking at the situation from the most
responsible viewpoint possible, these are some of the
issues:
The requirements for insulating
capabilities of upper booms and lower boom insulators .
How strength must be retained
in the fiberglass boom insulators, no matter how much
working abuse and loads they are subjected
to.
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.
One of the most critical
aspects of the repair is the safe physical
connection between the
bucket and the boom.
If You Are Already
Thinking About Boom Lift, Now
How About An Effective Evaluation Of Vendor Capabilities
The following questions should be asked
of any company on the list 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?
Are the
personnel technically competent for this type of work,
with a bonified record of testing and/or
credentials
such as those offered by the ACMA?
In addition
to the above, points to also review
include:
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, again by an approved
testing device that itself has been calibrated. This
of course presumes that Boom Lift-related needs have
electrical insulation properties. If you are unsure,
the official owners manual is a great place to start
checking.
Further Than Boom Lift: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way
To Deal With Them
Please do not let the hypothetical
nature of these examples deter you. A competent process would
embody most of the illustrations we have
included.
Just Doing Your Job May Mean Taking A Bit Of Extra
Time
Those responsible for repair have been in some way notified. 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 such evidence should be compared with
boom damage criteria shown in the OEM manual. Any
problems require the action indicated in the manual.
2. If the boom is dirty inside, the shop should
call and 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
tester 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 are no additional problems, the boom
should be cosmetically repaired and refinished as needed.
4. Then, the boom should be dielectrically tested
again and structurally tested. If no flaws are
found, the boom should be waxed properly to help
shed water and dirt, to ensure its insulating effect,
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 Is A Time When More Care Is Needed From The
Very Beginning,
That Call For A Specialist Organization
Touch
We will continue with
boom repairs since a failure at that level can be
catastrophic. Looking once more at the uppermost member 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. 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. Next determine if it 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 would most likely be 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 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.
Structural
Issues
The flip side of the above is when the
enclosed platform that holds the operator is formed into reinforced arches
that in turn
are used to connect the boom arm. When damage has
occurred, it
can compromise the actual boom mounting assembly. While there are repair
techniques that can be used, none will likely restore
this critical supporting assembly to a viable state.
Because this design depends heavily on both the integral
bonding of the mounting fixture into the supporting
fiberglass, again the recommendation to the owner would be for replacement rather than remanufacture.
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.
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, and then the appropriate repair action should
be taken.
Tags: Boom Lift
