Changes in the design and material used in the booms of telescopic cranes has made repairs a lot more difficult and complicated, as Colin Sowman finds out

Thankfully the incidence of cranes suffering boom damage has reduced over the last few years – partly through lower workloads during the recession and partly because of the increasingly sophisticated warning systems that prevent modern cranes from being damaged by overloading.

While repairing booms by welding in a new section was relatively easy on older cranes, on the modern generation of machines things are less straightforward. Gone are the old mild steel box section telescopic booms and in their place are half-round or ‘D’ profile booms made from high-tensile steel. The steel in this new generation of booms is heat treated to provide the optimum balance between lightness and strength, allowing heavier loads to be lifted to greater heights than ever before.

While the in-use benefits of these newer designs are self-evident, if the boom becomes damaged the complication and level of skill required to repair them is now far higher than in the past. “The older stuff with box section booms is very repairable; you can easily insert new mild steel plates as it gets its strength from the box section,” says John Miller, aftersales manager for mobile cranes at Manitowoc in the UK.

“With anything built in the last eight years or so, if there is damage in the lower [half round] part of the boom section then it may not be repairable. It is a case-by-case situation. The lower section may look semi-circular but it is created by around 36 carefully spaced and controlled bends to create that profile and it relies on its shape and steel integrity to maintain its strength,” Miller adds.

There is no doubt that the number of independent repairers has reduced but they do still exist with the likes of Crowland Cranes in the UK, Avezaat, Köhler and Rusch in mainland Europe, Wheco in America and Pollisum Engineering in Singapore, all still active.

Variations exist between the crane manufacturers’ views of boom repairs and independent repairers. These can also differ between countries depending on the regulatory framework and the available skills. However, both Miller and Ed Hudson, general manager of crane aftersales at Liebherr Great Britain, describe the same damage evaluation process. The length, width and depth of the damage is measured along with its position in the boom’s profile and how far along the telescopic section it occurs. This information is then fed back to the design engineers at the factory who calculate if it can be repaired and, if so, how that repair must to be carried out.

From this point on views and procedures diverge by company and by country. Within Europe, for instance, if Liebherr’s engineers decide the boom can be repaired the company will carry out the work itself at its own dedicated premises in Germany. If the Manitowoc boom can be repaired then it will issue a repair specification listing the physical dimensions, material specification(s) of any section to be inserted into the boom along with the required filler rod.

This work can be carried out by an independent repairer as the specification also includes any requirement for pre- and post-welding heat treatment and the extent of post-repair testing but not the required coding for the welder. “The repairer must look at the materials and processes involved and satisfy themselves that their company has the necessary skills, certification and equipment to undertake that repair,” says Miller.

In the USA Jay Shiffler, vice president of business development at independent crane repairer Wheco Corporation, believes there is much mis-information about whether a repair (or repair process) which has not been approved by the crane manufacture has to be considered a modification. In the USA, repairs and adjustments to machinery fall under OHSA (Occupational Safety &Health Administration) 1926.1412(b) whereas modifications are covered by the more rigorous 1926.1412(a) and 1926.1434 standards.

Grove RT700E Weld repaired at WHECO’s Richland, WA Facility

Not only is Shiffler adamant that non-OEM approved repairs are not modifications, he also says that the repairs carried out at his company can be much quicker than those done by the manufacturer, resulting in a cost saving to the customer of between 30% and 80%.

Wheco repairs and refurbishes all makes and types of cranes and is an approved repairer for Manitowoc machines. It works from five locations and has invested heavily in new equipment and training cope with the new steels, Shiffler says. At any one time the company will have around 30 cranes in for repair or refurbishment.

Dave Dimelow, head of engineering at the UK arm of global loss adjuster Crawfords, says insurers usually require two quotes for the repair of any crane that is out of warranty. Dimelow says that some manufacturers refuse to divulge the specification of the material in the booms of their newer cranes. To get a second estimate a steel sample is sent for analysis to determine the grade(s) of steel used.

In the UK, Section 6(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act “places a general health and safety obligation on anyone in the supply chain, so far as reasonably practicable, for when articles for use at work are being used, set, cleaned or maintained.” Some in the industry interpret this as meaning crane manufacturers have an obligation to make the information required to repair a damaged machine available to the owner – others disagree. Again, the regulatory framework varies from country to country; even within supposedly common areas such as the European Union.

For the insurance companies, having got their cost and time estimates to repair a damaged crane, they do not usually stipulate if the manufacturer or an independent company should undertaking the work. It is, after all, in the insurer’s interest to get the repair done as quickly and as economically as possible. Dimelow is, however, quick to point out that crane jobs with latest high-tensile steel booms are still relatively new, so the repairs he has handled have gone back to the manufacturer which, he says, has a built-in advantage. “Especially if the crane needs other repairs such as a new cab, then the manufacturer has the advantage because they control the cost of replacement parts. It’s tough for the independents,” he says.

That said he sees no reason why specialists independent companies should not repair crane booms as an appropriately coded welder will know the processes required to join the steels involved. This may involve pre-heating the boom before the welding takes place, ensuring the weld does not cool too quickly and, even 24 hours of heat treatment, after the welding has finished.

“This is not rocket science,” says Dimelow, “it’s all laid down in various standards and, given the correct equipment, a suitably coded welder should be able to carry out the job satisfactorily. The company carrying out the repair must stand behind their work.”

Dimelow is quick to add that he has never seen an incident where a repaired boom on a telescopic crane has failed. “If it did, the potential consequences could be drastic and the legal claims would probably drive the repair company out of business,” he says.

Regardless of whether the manufacturer or an independent company undertakes the repairs, insurers will normally insist on an overload test to prove the repaired boom is up to the job. “The repaired section must be as strong as the original or stronger,” says Dimelow. For that reason the overload test required by the insurer may be equivalent to that undertaken during the type-approval. If the repaired boom passes the test then the insurance company will accept it as serviceable.

Peter Issitt, managing director at Crowland Cranes, believes his company can repair a boom for as little as half the cost of a replacement. “The real advantage is the time needed to complete a boom repair compared with the experienced lead times for a replacement boom,” Issitt explains.

Like other remaining crane repairers, his company has kept up to date with the new steel specifications and welding processes but, even then, it is not a straightforward process. A recent boom repair concerned a Terex Demag AC 100 from 2009 fitted with a half-round boom. While getting the repair specification was not a problem, the company had to source the specialised steel from Germany before bending it into the required profile and welding the replacement section into the boom.

While companies like Crowland and Wheco are well versed in repairing the new generation of booms, there are potential pitfalls out there for unwary crane owners – even removing an unwanted bracket from the boom can cause problems. “If somebody uses oxy-acetylene equipment to remove a bracket, that could create problems with the heat treatment and may even cause local changes in the steel’s composition,” says John Miller. Liebherr’s Hudson goes even further, saying, “Owners and repairers should always contact the manufacturer before doing any hot work on a boom.

Work carried out immediately after a crane incident has also become more important in the repair process. For instance if a crane has suffered a tip-over and is lying on its side, the boom is an obvious place to apply forces to right the unit. With the new booms crane owners must ensure that the recovery operators do this with the utmost care as the cross section of the new booms are designed to be loaded vertically. Even relatively small sideways stresses can cause distortion – especially if the boom is extended. A distorted boom, or a particular section or sections, may have to be replaced if it has obviously been stressed past the yield point.

Another area where problems could arise is if the crane suffers a fire in the engine bay as this is often adjacent to or just beneath the base of the boom. While the charred boom may look like it just needs a new coat of paint, the fire may have upset the heat treatment of the steel leading to a weak point – again the consequences of this passing undetected could be disastrous.

The message is that owners and operators must be aware that the new generation of booms are less tolerant of accidents, incidents and overloads but repairs are possible. Depending on the type and scale of boom damage a suitably equipped and staffed independent repairer may offer a time and cost-effective alternative to OEM repairs or replacement. Whichever option the crane owner decides to take, the insurance company will require an overload test on a repaired boom before the machine can be put back into service.

If you are keeping up with our blog you will see that this is the fourth in a series of blog posts about service life extension/restoration projects for cranes.  We have written about crawler, RT and cab down cranes and it was time to do one for conventional truck cranes.  So, it is not a coincidence that as I sit down to write this article that WHECO is about 45 days into doing a complete restoration on a P&H 6250 conventional truck crane for the Chino mine in New Mexico.  I will make reference to the Chino mine SLEP in the following post.

The conventional truck crane has seen a diminishing market for many years now.  The emergence of and preference for the European all-terrain cranes has served to displace the old conventional truck cranes.  However, the conventional cranes do have long and useful service lives and, depending on the make and model, parts and components are still readily available.  And, not only do these cranes continue to provide safe and dependable service but they are often preferable to the all-terrain crane for certain applications.  Also, all-terrain pricing and availability can make a new purchase cost prohibitive and adds to the argument for developing a plan to extend the working service life of your conventional truck crane.  A well-conceived and executed project can extend the useful service life of your crane and save you time and money.  You should also be able to capitalize the project making it tax efficient while providing you with an excellent return on your investment.  In order to make an informed decision you should consider all of your options including the cost of replacement and benchmark them against each other and your budget.

Here is a short punch list of things to think about when considering a project to extend the service life of your conventional truck crane.

• Eliminate Replacement Options:  If you are even considering a restoration project then you have probably already eliminated the option of buying new.  But, you may be thinking about looking around for a more current used crane.  Before considering replacing any crane that has provided you with several years of exceptional service you should consider that you may already have the best used crane out there.  So, why not find out what it would cost to get extend the productive service life of your current crane? 
• Develop a Plan:  If you are looking to take the project on yourself make sure you have a complete and comprehensive plan.  While many crane owners are fully capable, it takes a full time commitment to ensure that it doesn’t end up becoming a part time project and costing you more than you expected especially in down-time.  Remember, the object is to get the crane back into revenue generating service in the shortest time and most cost effective manner.  Even if you think you want to take it on you may want to consider getting an estimate from a third-party repair and restoration services provider to benchmark your own plan.
• Make/Model/Market:  During the past 20 plus years there has been a lot of industry consolidation.  Names like Lima and Northwest have virtually disappeared leaving them with little to no market value and may not be worth the investment to restore.  On the other hand conventional truck crane manufacturers like Link-Belt, Manitowoc and P&H/Terex and American/Terex are recognized brand names whose products hold value and are great candidates for service life extension projects.  It is still a good idea to take a look at the particular model you are looking to restore and consider the popularity of that crane. Value can be diminished by the availability of the manufacturer or market to support the product.  Or, it simply may not be a very marketable crane if someday you need to dispose of it.
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  Application:  Application can play a big part when deciding whether to restore your crane.  There are a lot of unique applications out there that suit particular makes, models and sizes of cranes.  If you can’t improve on the situation then we wouldn’t suggest that you try.  In the case of Chino mine they can travel the P&H 6250 on-site with all the counterweight and 100’ foot of boom. (See pictures of the P&H 6250 to your left)   They also own a 500 ton all-terrain crane that requires a crew and equipment to remove the counterweights, transport and set up the crane every time they need to move, which is often. As you can see the conventional truck crane has a major advantage of mobility compared to the AT on the job site.  You can also check out an American 9460 that is used in a stevedoring application.  It was the dockside application, capacity and mobility as well as the cost advantage that gave them the reason to have us remanufacture the crane.  Having the ability to be mobile is a major advantage to conventional truck cranes.
• Condition:  The condition, particularly of the boom and major weldments will have a major impact on your decision.  The boom, carrier and superstructure should either be in tact or repairable.  Larger replacement weldments are often difficult to find and having them made new is generally cost prohibitive or may add significant costs to the project.  The after-market may provide an opportunity to find used components but it can also be an expensive and challenging process to locate them.
• Technology:  Despite the evolution to full hydraulic control systems, turntable bearings and full electronic LMI systems, we still see a lot of crane owners restoring the older cranes.  The old “friction rigs” are often still preferred because they are easier and more cost effective to maintain.  Additionally, there are several after-market providers of A2B and LMI systems that can be fitted to upgrade the older cranes.
• Developing a Roadmap or Scope of Work: Once you have determined that your crane is suitable for restoration, you will need a good cost estimate.  This requires a thorough survey and inspection that will help you to develop a comprehensive scope of work.  A properly developed scope of work will allow you to put a good price estimate on the project.  You also need to anticipate what else you may find when you disassemble the crane.  No matter how thorough the survey, you cannot expect to see everything until the unit is disassembled.
• Down Time: How long are you going to be without your crane?  Do you need to rent another unit until the project is done?  This can have a significant financial bearing on your decision.  And, there can be a difference in how long you planned on being down versus actual downtime.  Be sure to plan accordingly.
• Vendor Capability: Restoration projects by their nature are challenging.  You need to understand if the service provider can provide you with a turn-key project.  Facilities, tooling and a controlled environment are critical to a quality restoration.  Additionally, the company that repairs your machine should have qualified technicians, processes and best practices in place that provide for a safe, compliant and documented crane restoration.
• Project Capitalization:  The ability to capitalize and depreciate the project can have a positive impact on your investment.  Be sure to compare the ROI and cash flow against the purchase of a new crane.  The differences can be significant.

Remember, information is knowledge and knowledge is power.  Let WHECO help you develop a scope of work that will extend the useful service life of your crawler crane!

If from the start, you never think of a damaged crane part or component as being reparable then you are likely never to consider a repair option.  Historically, is has been ingrained into our thinking that structurally damaged cranes and crane components are not safe to repair.  For decades, the manufacturers have been quick to condemn most anything that comes across their desk and threaten those that argue or resist.

This past year we have written on several topics that seek to dispel the many myths and misconceptions about structural repairs.  And, we will continue to bring you useful information and resources that will encourage you to seek a higher level of knowledge and understanding about structural repairs.  But, in our effort to change the paradigm we also need to let go of our old habits and change our way of thinking.  We need to develop a repair mentality and think repair.

To encourage this change of mind and advance the rational thinking behind repairs I thought this would be a good opportunity to start the New Year with a review of some of our most popular content from 2012.  Here they are:

1. This past year we started our discussion about changing the paradigm and started a conversation to make transparent the issue and dispel the myths and misconceptions about crane structural repairs: Crane Insurance Exposure | Working to change the crane manufacturers paradigm   
   
2. Then we opened a discussion about the importance of having a repair option on the table: The Top 5 Reasons to consider a structural repair option 
   
3. Next, we discussed the importance of and requirements for documentation and offered a white paper on the topic: Protect Yourself Demand Crane Repair Documentation! 
4. One of the “hottest topics” we hit on this year was disclosing the facts about how OSHA views repairs versus modifications:  Facts about Crane Repairs VS Modifications. 
5. And finally we published a comprehensive eBook that caught the attention of the many crane and insurance industry professionals:

We appreciate your reading our crane repair and restoration blog posts and look forward to continuing the conversation in 2013.  We also appreciate your feedback on those conversations and would invite your input on topics that you would like to hear more about. Comment and let us know about a topic you would like hear about.  The blog is loaded with great content, and you can browse it by the topics on the right hand column.

Restoring your Industrial Crane

By Clint Rawson & Bob Edmonston

The cab-down crane has long been used as an application specific crane. However, with the market being relatively small most of the manufacturers have ceased production of these cab-down units.  Despite this, there has remained a pretty steady demand for good used or restored cab-down machines.

The low profile design with pick and carry capabilities have made them popular in the petro-chemical field and other industrial applications making the Gulf Coast region the most prominent market for these types of cranes.  They are productive and make for another “good tool in the tool box”.  Restoring older cranes can make sense if the application and demand still exist and a replacement cannot be justified with newer crane models such as the rough terrain crane.

With local parts availability from companies such as Cherry Picker Parts and Contractors Parts & Supply, the old conventional cab-down cranes, or neck-breakers as they have been known, can provide continued safe and dependable service.  However, we wouldn’t recommend depending solely on the OEM for parts and would suggest you look for additional sources.

A SLEP or Service Life Extension Project is certainly a viable option for the older cab-down cranes and can provide an excellent return on investment adding many trouble free years of service.  However, before you can make an informed decision you should consider all your options including trying to find replacement equipment of a similar specification to perform the application and benchmarking it against the purchase of a new crane asset.

Here are a few things you should consider when deciding whether or not to restore your cab-down crane.

Replacement Cost: 

New versions of the most popular, out-of-production cranes would have typically retailed for $150,000 to $180,000.  However, prices for new cab down cranes such as Manitex’s Badger line, Ohio-Louisiana Crane and Broderson are rumored to be in the $280,000 plus range while a 10 year old crane can sell for between $50,000 and $60,000.  When considering buying a used crane with the intention to restore it, you need to read on about developing a scope of work (see Restoration Road Map below).

*Even though it might seem cost effective to buy a used crane, you don’t know the service history of the crane and it may be more advantageous to restore your own cab-down crane especially if you have taken good care of it, you might just have the best used crane on the market. 

The Project:

While many facilities and companies are capable and have the resources to do a project of this scale on their own, you have to ask yourself if it makes good economic sense.

It takes a real commitment to make certain that it does not become a side project and end up costing you more than expected in labor as well as having the unit out of revenue generating service for an extended period of time.  Remember the name of the game is to get the crane up and running and into revenue generating service in the shortest time and most cost effective manner.  So be sure to consider getting a proposal from a competent third-party repair and restoration services provider.

The Crane:

What cranes are worth restoring?

As previously mentioned, there are some aftermarket parts suppliers that continue to support certain models of cab-down cranes.

Some of the most popular out-of-production models of cab-down cranes are the Grove RT58D and Galion 150A and 150FA models.  As a result of their popularity, reliability and the availability of after-market parts, they make good considerations for a restoration project. There are other makes and models available but they are not as well supported.

Galion 150A

Grove RT58D

Galion 150FA

Crane Condition:

The condition of your crane is a major factor in whether or not a restoration or a service life project makes sense. While there is no “bare minimum”, we typically like to see both the boom and frame intact or repairable. The larger weldments are often difficult to source and are generally cost prohibitive to replace and could put you over budget.

We do not recommend purchasing a used boom except in specific instances where you know its history.   A better solution is to have an engineered and documented repaired boom.

Read: The Advantages to Repairing Your Crane Components

Of course the best case scenario for a restoration project is to have a well maintained used crane that has simply aged to a point that it is too costly to operate and maintain but is certainly SLEP worthy.

Restoration Roadmap:

It is critical that you develop a very comprehensive scope of work for this type of project.  A spreadsheet of all the considerations including, parts, labor, time and contingencies is a good idea.  Depending on the availability of parts, a typical service life project should take no longer than 2 to 3 months.

However, it is recommended to plan for delays and anticipate the length of time the crane will be out of service.  Having a backup or a piece of equipment that can do a similar task is a good idea.

Who Can

We have already mentioned the “Do It Yourself” scenario.  When considering a third-party restoration you should carefully vet the service provider.

Read: Eliminating Surprises in Crane Restoration

Restoration projects are challenging by nature and sometimes unforeseen problems come to light when the crane is disassembled. It is essential to satisfy yourself that your SLEP provider can deliver you with a turn-key project and a documented OHSA approved repair.

It is also very important to plan and execute your project to ensure that it will result in a positive experience and that your return on investment is maximized.

With WHECO’s decades of experience in this area, allow us to assist with your next SLEP.  You won’t be disappointed.  The wrong decision could be a very costly one.

Rotating bed cracks were discovered on a Manitowoc 4100 Series II as well as some previous and ineffective non-OEM attempts to resolve the issue.  WHECO provided engineering procedures and a repair solution that were approved by Manitowoc.  The repairs were performed and the supporting documentation was provided to the customer.

One outrigger box and beam were damaged on this RT865B by falling job site debris.  A comprehensive survey and engineered repair plan was developed by WHECO and approved by Manitowoc.  The cooperation between Manitowoc and WHECO provided the perfect  time and cost effective repair solution for the customer.

This Grove HL 150 jib base section damage resulted from a two-block incident.  All four chords were bent upward with the center of the bend being just forward of the support plate that tied the upper and lower chords together.  A structural repair was engineered by WHECO and approved by Manitowoc.  A complete documentation package was created and provided with the repair.