A badly neglected lorry-mounted loader crane is an accident – and a potentially catastrophic one – waiting to happen. That is why regular safety inspections and periodic servicing are essential, says Palfinger UK’s aftersales director, Andy Woodward. The regime should start with the truck’s driver, he contends. He or she should subject the crane to a pre-use visual and safety check in addition to the daily walkaround inspection that should be conducted on the vehicle itself.
Both inspections should be documented. “Remember that if an incident occurs the enforcement authorities will want to see details of the pre-use checks that were carried out,” says Woodward.
When they inspect a crane, truck drivers need to know what they are looking for. Fortunately the 15-module lorry loader operator training course developed by ALLMI – the Association of Lorry Loader Manufacturers and Importers – covers pre-use checks, says Woodward. The inspection should involve a function check and ensuring that the overload protection system and the emergency stops are working properly, he says. The driver should also take a look at the hoses and see that they are sound. “Any faults that are found should be reported to the transport manager so that suitable action can be taken.”
As well as being checked prior to use, the crane should be greased weekly, he advises; a basic task which one of the operator’s drivers or technicians should be able to do themselves.
CRANE CARE
LOLER, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, requires that all loader cranes should undergo a thorough examination at least every 12 months by a competent person, usually a trained loader crane service and repair engineer. A yearly load capacity test should be carried out, too. ALLMI can provide full details of everything that businesses using loader cranes need to do, including the required testing regime.
An annual service conducted by an engineer will be sufficient in most cases, but there are exceptions, says Woodward. “If the crane is fitted with a grab – and is on muckaway work – then we would advise that it should be serviced every six months,” he reasons. That is because the arduous tasks it is likely to be engaged in are bound to result in greater stress on all the components.
“In some cases we would suggest a service every three months,” adds Woodward. “A service involves giving the crane a full check looking for cracks, defects – and the general effects of wear and tear. Anything that needs attention will be repaired or replaced as appropriate.”
Hoses will be examined for leaks and swapped if needs be, while hydraulic filters will be replaced if required, too. Any necessary minor tweaks and adjustments to the extension chains will be made also at this time.
Many of the problems that arise with cranes occur due to damage, says Woodward. “If a crane is being used by a builders’ merchant to make a delivery to someone’s house for instance then a hose may catch on an overhanging tree branch,” he explains. Stabiliser legs may bash obstacles if they are swung out carelessly and there is always the danger that a crane that has not been stowed properly will clobber an overhead obstruction.
“Forgetting to change the hydraulic oil, or using oil that has been accidentally contaminated, can result in problems too,” adds the Palfinger man. “Hydraulic oil is, in effect, one of a crane’s major components – and a control valve can fail because the oil has got swarf in it.” Water ingress is another potential issue, especially if an attempt has been made to clean the crane with the use of pressure washers.
SERVICE AND SUPPORT
Palfinger UK is part of the Devizes, Wiltshire-based T H White Group, which distributes Palfinger lorry loaders in the UK. Last year, it acquired Truck Hydraulic Services of Bardon in Leicestershire to boost its aftersales support to customers across the Midlands.
Palfinger UK can service cranes on a pay-as-you-go basis or under a full repair and maintenance contract for a fixed monthly amount. If a customer elects to go the latter route, Palfinger UK then determines the service regime, explains Woodward, because it is the one taking the risk if there is too great a gap between services – and something goes wrong. That something could end up being expensive.
Covering all wear and tear items, but not accidental damage, Palfinger repair and maintenance agreements typically run for from one to five years, but can be extended to seven to eight years.
The vast majority – 95% – of the work is carried out on site by mobile engineers. “The vans they use do not carry the weights required for load capacity testing,” says Woodward. Customers have to provide them themselves – typically in the form of a pallet of bricks or a dumpy bag filled with sand.
Hiab, too, offers aftersales support arrangements for its loader cranes. Packages range from inspection and condition checks under the PayG banner covering over 100 points accompanied by repair recommendations, all the way up to the company’s Total Repair and Maintenance deal. That range also includes everything from the preventive replacement of wear items – such as slide pads and hydraulic hoses – to the servicing of crane accessories such as hooks, jibs and hoists.
It is worth checking to see whether an agreement caters for emergency breakdown repairs. The full repair and maintenance contract offered by Atlas Cranes in the UK does – and it includes up to three services a year plus the annual LOLER examination.
Contracts for up to eight years are available for cranes on standard hook and brick-and-block work, reducing to five years for more demanding clamshell applications which could involve handling construction waste.
PARTS EXCHANGE
Recognising the unremitting pressure on truck operators’ profit margins, Hiab has recently started to roll out a range of exchange parts and what it refers to as ‘Red Parts’ alongside its OE replacement components. Red Parts have equivalent performance specifications to OE items, says the company, but a shorter projected lifespan, which means they are not as expensive.
“They represent a value proposition for customers with ageing units characterised by a limited remaining lifespan and low utilisation levels,” says Michael Bruninx, senior vice president, services, at Hiab. Initially covering engine components for truck-mounted forklifts, the range will be expanded to cover other Hiab brands and products during the course of this year.
As well as Hiab and Effer loader cranes, the Hiab portfolio embraces Moffett truck-mounted forklifts, Multilift skiploaders and hooklifts – and Zepro tail-lifts among other brands and items of equipment.
Servicing regimes look set to change as loader crane technology changes. Hiab has recently launched its hybrid wspr (presumably meant as a contraction of ‘whisper’) crane which can either be run off the truck’s engine or from an onboard battery pack.
The first variant to be introduced is the standard model, said to be capable of running off a battery for up to two days. When the battery is depleted, the engine can take over.
Says Mattias Berglund, director, global product management, special applications and digital products, loader cranes light and medium: “By being emission-free and near-silent (when relying on the battery) it provides the flexibility for the user to operate in low- or no-emission zones, or late at night.”
When using electric power, the wspr crane has the same lifting capacity and precision that it does when being driven by an engine, says Hiab, but responds more quickly because all the torque needed is immediately available. Mount the crane on an electric truck, adds Hiab, and the truck’s range will not be compromised because using the crane will not deplete the traction batteries; but the extra weight imposed by a separate battery pack may be a concern for some transport firms.
