I have been operating cranes for as long as I can remember. Or well, more accurately, I have been in the construction industry for as long as I can recall. I have learned to use all types of hand and power tools even those which I did not think actually existed. These were the equipment that were not readily available in the usual hardware or market but were special devices usually custom-made for very particular companies.
And then there are the heavy duty machines. Obviously, there are the kinds of equipment that you would not normally find or use in household carpentry work or in any other light masonry.
The Power and Challenges of Using a Crane
When I first used a crane, despite my years or experience in construction, I found tremendous difficulty using it. There are those who believe that using a crane is no different from using a truck aside from the operating the ‘claws’ or ‘hands’ which is not available in other commuter vehicle.
For those unfamiliar with the vehicle, a crane is a truck with ‘clamp’ attached to a mobile platform which hare both in a truck. The clamp of any crane is hydraulically powered and is generally used for lifting and lowering heavy objects or for bringing objects to difficult sites like highly elevated, isolated or other hard to reach areas. Although it sounds simple enough, the crane is no ordinary truck with clamp, in fact, as I found out in my first few months using the carne, the task operation requires advanced training and skills on top of considerable knowledgeable in physics, strength of materials and basic safety procedures in order to avoid major accidents and prevent serious injuries from happening.
But aside from the skills and knowledge needed to operate a crime, what I found more challenging were maintenance issues. Crane spares are simply hard to get by, but there are reliable crane parts supplier where you can get quality crane spare parts.
Prior to using a crane, I had an intensive month-long training. My trainer explained that the crane is a tricky equipment and even more tricky one to maintain. First, it had multiple moving parts which in engineering is a basic consideration: the more moving parts, the more wear and tear and the higher the maintenance requirement.
Parts, Maintenance and Replacements
And so it goes, there is the crane arm which is no ordinary arm as it can operate in three different ways depending on nature of the job or objective. In addition to the crane arm, there is the which is an extension of the crane arm that is like a telescopic aperture. It allows users to increase reach or achieve greater length of the boom and therefore increased lifting capability. Finally, or infamously, the Rotex gear is located under the cab or crane cabin and allows the cab to rotate or turn the boom by means of a hydraulic motor. And this is relatively the most difficult to maintain since it requires a lot of oil, has a lot of larger difficult to even lift. Of course, there are relatively easy options in terms of spare parts since Tadano crane parts for the Rotex are quite common.
But it does not stop there. The operator’s cab, which his basically the main driver’s seat and the spot where the user controls or operates the crane is composed of an operator’s chair, electrical equipment and the crane’s control panel. Although the chair is relatively of no significance, the operator controls is pure and simply fundamental. It serves as literal joystick to control the left-to-right and forward-to-aft motion of the boom while the foot pedals controls the rotex gear pump pressure as well as the telescoping action of the boom. Taken together these are the heart and soul of any crane operation. Simply put, one cannot do without the other.
