This Post Comes from one of WHECO’s newest team members, Greg Etue 

Since joining WHECO Corporation this past October the number one question I get from customers is:  Do I need the approval of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) before making structural repairs to my own cranes?

Having worked for many years in retail crane distribution, I was always told by the manufacturer that when it came to boom and structural repairs that they always had the last word on whether you can repair or if you must replace damaged equipment and components.  When I met WHECO Corporation, I found this was not the case.

Most OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufactures) do not have the means, facilities or desire to accommodate structural repairs.  And their policies generally prohibit or at least discourage repair.  The obvious reason is that they don’t want anything to interfere with their lucrative aftermarket parts business.  These policies would appear to leave customers with no option except to replace the damaged parts and components or in the worst case taking the crane out of service.  The OEM’s are also known to aggressively defend their policies through threatening letters and/or threats of refusal to sell parts and components.

So what can you do about it?

Defend your right to have your crane repaired.  While it is very important to know that OHSA standards and regulations do require that repairs or adjustments of equipment must meet the manufacturers’ criteria, it is equally important to know that OSHA provides an avenue for non-OEM’s to provide repairs and adjustments by using the services of a registered professional engineer to develop the criteria.  In other words, regardless of OEM policy, OSHA allows you to keep the repair option on the table.

Learn the facts and understand the truth about structural crane repairs.  It is possible to safely engineer repairs and rebuild everything from minor damage to more complex lattice and hydraulic boom and frame and superstructure structural repairs.  An engineered repair will generally provide the most expeditious and economic solution to an otherwise expensive replacement option.

The work performed at WHECO Corporation is all engineered, tested, certified, guaranteed, warranted and fully documented.  All repairs meet or exceed all OSHA, Cal-OSHA, ANSI and AWS standards and are fully compliant.  WHECO operates 6 repair facilities in located in Richland, WA, Aiken, SC, Houston, TX Seattle, WA, Santa Fe Springs, CA and Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands

Please take some time to look around our website and visit our blog.  You are also welcome to give me a call.

Hope you find this document useful and informative. – Greg Etue, National Sales Representative (678)-764-7821

In 2002 WHECO performed some emergency crane repairs for the crew of the Terminator 3 movie. What most people do not know is that the crane was heavily damaged on set before filming was complete.  According to International Cranes and Transport Magazine, the crane sustained damage during a practice run.  While the driver was not injured the crane required major repairs after being flipped and rolled.

WHECO was given two weeks to provide the repair work.  WHECO worked around the clock in their Los Angeles facility to get the crane ready for production.  The work was complete in 11 days.

You can read the complete article at the following WHECO News link.

Below is a gallery of the repair and a clip from the Terminator 3 crane chase scene:

Chase scenes are among the most entertaining aspects of action movies, and movie makers work diligently to “one up” each other to create spectacular chases that involve rapidly moving vehicles, stunning crashes and explosions. Such was the case with last summer’s “Terminator III – Rise of the Machines” movie, which featured a remarkable chase scene involving a Demag crane supplied by Champion Crane of Hollywood, CA.

In the crane chase scene, the evil robot T-X, played by Kristanna Loken, drives off in the 165t Demag AC 395 in an attempt to capture and kill good guy robot T-3, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The storyline goes that the female robot can hack into and control the computerized mechanisms of machines, and she is aptly able to drive and operate the crane, leaving scads of damage in her wake – crushed cars, downed electrical poles and demolished buildings. And of course the scene is filled with requisite explosions, smoke, fires and flying sparks.

While this is not common duty for such a crane, the starring Demag almost lost its role due to damage it sustained during a practice run by a stunt driver a few days before the spectacular chase scene was to be shot. While the stunt driver was not injured, the crane required major repairs after being flipped and rolled.

The decision was whether to repair or replace the crane. Technicians at WHECO Corp.’s Los Angeles shop were dispatched to assess the damage and to see if they could fix it in time for the filming sequence. Firemen’s Fund, the insurer of the machine, hoped for the best and they got it from WHECO. Click here to view the repair job. 

Film maker contracts stipulated a stiff financial penalty if the machine wasn’t available at a certain time for filming. The timeframe for getting a different machine, shipping it to Los Angeles, painting it and retrofitting it for the filming was not a cost effective option.

“After inspecting the crane, which had flipped twice, we determined it could be fixed,” said Jack Huffsmith, general manager of WHECO’s Los Angeles division. “The unique thing is that when it flipped, it bounced so high that the boom didn’t even touch the ground.”

Regardless, one side of the crane was badly damaged, with the sheet metal, oil tanks and operators cabs badly crushed.  Much of the carrier sheet metal was crunched too, Huffsmith said.

WHECO was given two weeks to get the crane to its shop, repair it and get it back to the movie set, an old Boeing Aircraft manufacturing facility that had been converted to a movie set.

“We did it in 11 days,” said Huffsmith. “It required us working 18 hour days.”

Luckily, the main “movie component” modifications weren’t badly damaged. For its role in the movie, the crane had been modified with roll cages in both cabs and steel bumpers, which was a plus.

WHECO’s team of technicians is not daunted by heavy damage or tight timeframes. A worldwide leader in crane and capital equipment repair and restoration, WHECO specializes in crane accident restoration. The company has restored hundreds of cranes that have sustained similar damage by being rolled or flipped on construction sites. Uniquely, the company provides engineered solutions to the repair and restoration process, producing repaired equipment that is warranted, certified and often “better than new,” and in this case, “camera ready.”

“WHECO’s goal is to produce warranted, certified repairs — whether we are repairing a bent or broken crane boom or restoring a damaged crane to like-new condition,” said Dave Wood, president of the company based in Pasco, WA and with plants in Seattle, Los Angeles and Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. “At our specialized facilities, our skilled technical team analyze and create an individualized strategy for repairing even the most heavily damaged equipment.”

Wood said that while no job is “routine,” the so-called “Terminator” project was certainly an interesting one.

“This repair, while not typical in that it involved a crane with a starring role in a movie, demonstrates the necessity of our services,” said Wood. “Insurers, contractors and even manufacturers are realizing that the repair vs. replacement question can be answered with ‘repair.’”

For more information about WHECO call 1-800-937-4772 or visit their website at www.wheco.com.

Take a look at our comprehensive white paper on the type of documentation you should receive when having structural repairs performed on your crane components.

The good news is that structural repairs do not require the approval of the OEM and can be done safely and compliant to all OHSA and ANSI standards and regulations. An OEM may have policies that prohibit structural repairs, but crane owners and their insurance providers can and should defend the right to repair damaged equipment. While an OEM may defend their policies through threatening letters, they cannot prevent a crane owner from repairing a crane that is deemed repairable by a qualified registered professional engineer. Companies like WHECO work every day to successfully defend customers against strong arm OEM tactics.

The top five reasons you should consider a repair option are to:

1. Strengthen the decision-making process.

Knowing all of the options available to you will help in making an informed decision.   You need to have the facts and know the truth about your choices when it comes to a damaged crane. Having a repair option will provide a method of benchmarking your choices.

2. Provide a method to measure vendor competency and candor.

Just because your distributor/service provider cannot provide engineered repairs doesn’t mean that this route is not available to you.  While your distributor/service provider may be very competent, the company’s management should be forthcoming about their capabilities and help you find the best repair solution, even at the expense of losing the sale.  It should be every vendor’s responsibility to see to the best interests of their customers.  There is no better litmus test than to have one supplier refer you to another supplier who can provide a better solution.

3. Provide a platform for comparison of competitors’ facilities, methods, processes and practices.

Structural repairs, by their nature, are challenging.  You need to understand how your repair provider plans to provide you with a safe, compliant and documented repair.  Facilities, tooling and a controlled environment are critical to a quality repair. Additionally, the company that repairs your machine should have processes and best practices in place that provide for detailed surveys, inspections and written proposals on the damaged components.

4. Provide a benchmark to evaluate the total cost to repair a machine.

In addition to the hard repair costs, downtime can be a significant factor in determining the overall cost to repair or replace.   What is the crane being out of service really costing you?

5. Challenge vendors to compete at a higher level.

If your service provider cannot provide structural repair solutions, by necessity, they will either need to figure out how to get into the business, find a qualified subcontractor to work with or be left to provide just traditional repair services.  More importantly, by acknowledging the validity of a structural repair, it will oblige vendors to provide a higher level of ethical and moral service to their customers.

The paradigm against structural repairs is rapidly changing.  Customers are learning that they have access to safe, compliant, time- and cost-effective solutions.  Be sure to consult with a reputable third-party structural repair provider to measure and challenge tradition replacement philosophies and enjoy the benefits of being an informed customer.

The Author of this Post is Jay Shiffler, Vice President of Business Development, WHECO Corporation

Be sure to look at our comprehensive white paper on what documentation you should receive when having structural repairs performed on your crane components.

WHECO Corp., a crane and capital equipment structural repair and restoration services company has relocated to a new facility in Houston, TX. The new repair facility will expand WHECO’s reach in Houston to better serve the growing market of customers needing crane repair in the Southwest and Gulf Coast region.

“We knew going into Houston 2 years ago that we would soon outgrow our facility,” said Ron Williams, CEO of WHECO Corporation. “This new facility provides us with a larger lay-down area, easy access and a central location more convenient to our customers.”

“The bigger yard offers us a lot more options for working with the larger crane assets and the additional facility assets will help to improve our efficiencies,” added Bob Edmonston, WHECO’s Houston division manager.

With more than 31 years of experience in providing engineered structural repairs and remanufacturing services for cranes and other heavy equipment, WHECO is based in Richland, WA and operates facilities in Aiken, SC, Houston, TX, Santa Fe Springs, CA and Seattle, WA, as well as a service center on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. At its five full-service facilities, WHECO offers a variety of repair services that are guaranteed to meet or exceed OSHA, Cal-OSHA, AWS and ANSI standards. The company’s facilities are equipped with a complete machine shop, fabrication and assembly area, service bays, paint shop and a hydraulic service center. Using the latest technologies and state-of-the-art equipment, WHECO assures that all work completed involves certified engineers, independent metallurgy lab analysis, non-destructive testing and is guaranteed to conform to and pass all required certifications.

WHECO was given the challenge to provide repairs to an older Lima boom tip section that was damaged as the result of a two-blocking accident. Since this was an out of production component WHECO provided an engineered repair to restore the boom tip to its original design.  In addition to the tip damage there was also chord and lacing damage that required repair.  Using third party metallurgical testing we were able to source and replace two chords and 95% of the lacings.  The following series of photos depicts the repair process.  WHECO is a valued resource for repairing aging and obsolete crane boom and other crane components.



When evaluating cylinder repair versus replacement you need to consider some simple but valuable information.  It really comes down to three basic considerations to benchmark:

• Cost and availability of a new cylinder
• Cost and time to repair the cylinder
• Down time costs

I have created a simple matrix for you using the criteria:

You can see that of the 12 scenarios in the matrix that over 50% lean towards repair! A remanufactured cylinder will most often cost less than a new cylinder, and if the work is performed in a time effective manner by a reputable company, repair will probably be your best option.

The question I am most often asked is:

“Can WHECO repair my damaged cylinder?” Yes we can!  In fact WHECO provides cylinder repair and remanufacturing not only for cranes and other construction equipment, but also for industrial applications.  WHECO has the capability to perform large and small bore, long and short stroke and standard and metric repairs.  Our cylinder shop is fully integrated with our own machine shop, fabrication capabilities and includes an 80′ cylinder assembly, disassembly and testing table.

If you would like more information about our cylinder repair capabilities please click here. You can also submit a request for proposal, and we will provide you with a prompt reply.  You can also simply call me or anyone at WHECO anytime.

I am confident that these tips and the matrix will help you when considering whether to repair or replace a hydraulic cylinder.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best Regards, Mark Willams Vice President, Richland WHECO Corporation 2989 Kingsgate Way Richland, WA  99354 PH: (509) 371-1703

If you liked this post, check out some of WHECO’s other work:

WHECO Repairs Bauer BG18 Mast for Malcolm Drilling

Restoration of Manitowoc 888 Crawler Crane

WHECO Cylinder Shop

WHECO received the following letter from John Malcolm regarding the repair to their drill mast:

Dear Ron, Dave, Galen:

Malcolm Drilling would like to thank WHECO for completing the repair of our BG18 mast on time and within budget. The final invoice amount was exactly what Wheco estimated the repair cost would be. We are also very happy with the outstanding workmanship that went into the repair and the way Galen managed the project from start to finish.

It’s nice to know we are teamed up with a great supplier like WHECO that can tackle complex mechanical repair projects in a professional and expeditious manner. Your help on this project is appreciated.

Sincerely,

John J. Malcolm ]]> http://wheco.com/projects/malcolm-drilling-bg18-mast-repair/feed/ 0 http://wheco.com/news/wheco-announces-support-agreement-with-manitowoc-crane-group/ http://wheco.com/news/wheco-announces-support-agreement-with-manitowoc-crane-group/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:58:13 +0000 Jacob Voncannon http://wheco.com/?post_type=news&p=690

Contact:  Jay Shiffler 512-633-7413

October 4, 2011                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHECO announces agreement with Manitowoc Crane Group

WHECO Corp. has signed a agreement to become a Manitowoc authorized repair facility for structural repairs for all Manitowoc crane products. “We can now offer factory approved structural repair services for Manitowoc and Grove cranes” said Ron Williams, CEO of WHECO.  “WHECO was selected because we have the knowledge, experience, facilities and trained technicians to perform these types of repairs.

“Having the approval to do this type of work will provide greater value to Manitowoc and Grove crane owners,” Williams said. “We look forward to working closely with Manitowoc customers. Manitowoc is taking a very forward-thinking position that recognizes the necessity for specialized services and the quality and value that it can bring to their customers.

About WHECO:

WHECO Corporation is privately held company with facilities located in Richland and Seattle, WA, Santa Fe Springs, CA, Aiken, SC, Houston, TX and Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.  For more information, or to request a call or quote, visit us at www.wheco.com.