Indexed Under: Lift Boom
A Field Note: Granted While You Are Mostly Concerned With Lift Boom - For Your Information There Exists Intelligence On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades Dependable
It is
interesting that many have found while often
checking into Lift Boom, there are previously unaware
managers 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, such as a body shop, general molder or other
product producer like boats, etc., they generally may
not provide the best protection over the long-haul.
For instance, there are both structural needs and (where
applicable) electrical insulating properties which can
be overlooked. Plus
legal/monetary risks they can't support. (For
those doing an analysis of Lift Boom, the comments contained
within this article may be more applicable to to whomever
carries the responsibility for field vehicle
operations.)
Looking at the situation from the most
responsible viewpoint possible, these are some of the
issues that this type of repair requires:
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 .
Sometimes
the final line of defense in preventing electrocution is
the bucket itself. And,
this ability must be checked
during any refurbishment.
A certain component for
preservation of human life is the 100% dependable linkage of the
bucket and the boom.
If You Are Already
Thinking About Lift Boom, It Is A Short Step Over To An Evaluation Of Vendor Capabilities
Given these important
considerations, here is a potentially life-saving
checklist to evaluate any group that undertakes
an aerial lift
recondition:
Does the product liability insurance carrier
used by this group know that it is doing repair or
replacement work on aerial manlift components?
Have the
workers been adequately trained and experienced for this type of work,
carrying the appropriate certifications
such as those proffered 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.
Experience and knowledge of this applicaiton are
critical.
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 literal and figurative potential for dangerous
circuit completion that could effect the operator. (For
situations relating specifically to Lift Boom, a consultation
with those who purchased your aerial lift products are a
good idea to gain their perspective on this important
checking phase.)
Further Than Lift Boom: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way
To Deal With Them
Let us take a look at
some steps a
qualified repair facility would typically undergo in
order to ensure safe and proper repair of the bucket and
boom parts under question. With
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.
No Obvious
Damage, Now What?
Scenario: The repair facility is shipped the
upper boom section for basic rehab . Most shops should include a cleaning, particularly if there is noticeable dirt buildup inside
the actual boom. This enables correct dielectric
testing, which should be done. If problems crop up, further
physical/electrical testing operations should be done with
such equipment as a conductivity meter and/or an
ultrasonic tester. The boom
should be inspected to see if any type of cracks or dents. The specifications for that particular boom section
should be consulted directly from the lift platform
OEM and the
damage evaluated against those guidelines. If there
are specific remedies suggested by those
guidelines that may require extra effort, the
customer should be consulted. Structural testing is next. If no other issues are found, a
final waxing should occur.
It should then be sealed and protected for shipping with tamper-proof certifications with the results from the testing phases.
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 quote the cost of the repair so that the owner
can compare that to the cost of a new boom.
2. Once the go ahead to do the work is
received, 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.
3. If the repairs are
acceptable, the boom should then be cosmetically
refinished and dielectrically tested and returned to
the owner.
Potentially Unfortunate Outcomes
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
While the
owner ultimately makes the call as to repair, they
need good advice. So here is
a piece of advice we gave.
First we noted that the
fiberglass lift platforms can sometimes be attached by
creating an assembly out of the actual fiberglass. It is possible that where material has pulled apart can form weakness. And finally, it is difficult to
ensure that the further damage won't occur. Therefore, the competent consultant would
recommend replacement.
A Bucket Or
Similar Item For Repair That Has Cosmetic Damage
Now that we have created
circumstances where critical repairs should be made
and/or where it is beyond being reasonable to move into
that direction at all, a more normal state is when field
use has not yet pushed the item out of its service
range. Recycling in effect is a good potential for
such occurrences, particularly if the ownership is
willing to trade functional for cosmetic differences and
allow the vendor who is tasked to offer trade-offs
between these poles. It is very likely that this apparatus
can be returned to many years of active service. The key question is
whether it is mainly restoring the holding capability of
the bucket or in addition whether surfaces need to be put
back to near OEM levels of feel and look. In this
case, providing levels of pricing for each approach
action, structural only or structural plus
cosmetic, is the appropriate response.
Tags: Lift Boom
