Jon Anderson, director of repair services for US Markets Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., offers these suggestions when inspecting a used crane for purchase. “Items such as engine condition and performance, transmission function, and the overall mechanical condition, remain the same regardless of crane type, but there are some items unique to carry-deck cranes,” he says.
1. Turret bearing wear can only be determined by conducting a load test specified by the manufacturer. This may require hiring an outside inspector and delaying the purchase, but the cost of the bearing replacement far exceeds the effort.
2. The turret rotation gearbox is a relatively easy item to inspect by removing the cover and exposing the teeth of the drive pinion and the turret bearing. The contact surfaces should be examined for irregular or inconsistent wear patterns. operating the crane while watching the pinion can determine if the gearbox needs to be overhauled or just needs adjusting.
3. Look for stress cracks around the turret bearing mounting surface (above and below the deck), the structural frame, around pivot pins, and outrigger supports. Cracks around wheel openings are common, but if the structural frame is not affected then these cracks are no more harmful than having a dent in the fender of your car.
4. Boom section condition may sound like the easiest thing to inspect but with the exception of the rotation gearbox, a bent boom section is the most commonly missed component that can turn your investment into a very expensive After making repairs to this 2004 Broderson IC80-3G carry-deck crane, US Markets added it to its inventory as a “rent-ready” unit. nightmare. This can be avoided by doing what most people don’t do—fully extending the boom. The most common area of damage occurs where the boom sections intersect as they slide in and out. If the boom was fully extended when it was damaged it has to be fully extended to see the damage. This is a pretty simple task but one that is rarely performed, says Anderson.
