Cranes or accidental failures of cranes that play a key role in production may cause significant production losses and may delay the delivery of products to customers. Therefore, some spare parts prepared in advance can be replaced in time to ensure the normal operation of the crane.
Once it is determined which parts are critical to production in the crane or hoist, an analysis is needed to determine that these spare parts must be kept in inventory.
Some factors that need to be considered when choosing wearing parts are:
The monthly quality maintenance inspection will determine the wear and tear on the wearing parts that have been used for a long time, such as cranes and hoist trolley, drums, hooks, sheaves, hoist wire rope, chain load, so that they can be ordered and replaced in advance. Combining the results of maintenance inspections, add proper lubricating oil to the crane or hoist to extend the service life of wearable parts (such as bearings and gears).
When the crane or hoist is aging, the longer wearing parts (such as motors, bearings and gears) are more likely to fail. In daily maintenance and inspection, many of these parts are not easy to fully inspect. The delivery time of the wearing parts of old cranes and hoists may take several months. To ensure safety, several weeks of reverse engineering must be carried out, and then the parts will be processed by a professional mechanical workshop.
Parts with a history of multiple failures and common wear parts, such as wire ropes, current collectors and brake discs, should be kept in inventory to ensure that they can be replaced immediately when they are damaged during normal wear or use.
The availability of key parts and components can be the biggest issue in determining which parts to store in inventory. Using the common replacement parts of the currently produced off-the-shelf hoist, for the factory, the delivery time is not a problem. In the case of lack of domestic stock or parts that require several months of production, you may be forced to transport parts by air or directly replace the equipment.
Parts of cranes or hoists with large lifting tonnages are likely to be customized or specially processed orders. After the production of older hoist and end beam components or lifting models that are no longer manufactured, the production cycle of customized accessories will be longer, and the support for replacement parts is usually ten years.
The inventory of accessories needs to consider crane components and characteristics. Different cranes need to prepare different accessories.
Crane drum
Frequently store vulnerable parts such as wire ropes, overloads, hook safety latches and brake discs for quick replacement and ensure the normal operation of the crane. The rope guides on many European style hoists should also be kept in inventory because they are easily damaged during use. For cranes or hoists with relatively large tonnage, inventory needs to be prepared in advance.
The drums, hooks, dimensions and wheels on the end beams should be inspected and repaired as necessary before repairs. Before repairs, it is necessary to determine the condition of wear and tear in order to make a planned purchase. The delivery time for lifting and motors with complete brake components is usually very long. Preparing these spare parts in advance can ensure timely replacement of the crane and ensure normal work and work efficiency.
For old equipment that has not been repaired, it is necessary to ensure the inventory of crane and trolley gearbox parts, as well as bearings and seals. The lead time of the old hoist gearbox parts may be very long.
The wear parts and wear conditions of the crane parts can be determined before maintenance. However, the bearings should be kept properly to prevent malfunctions. Please note that bearing failure may also cause damage to the wheels. Therefore, storing a complete wheel assembly with the bearing is the best choice. A motor with a complete brake assembly usually takes a long time to deliver, so it is necessary to prepare some accessories in advance to ensure the normal operation of the crane.
It is always wise to prepare critical electrical components (such as all necessary fuses, transformers and contactor, and limit switches). In the case of a drive failure, hoists and variable frequency drives are also wise choices.
Always store spare current collectors, brackets, tensioners, etc. to avoid potential damage to the electrical system due to normal use. In addition to the normal power supply system, an additional power supply slip line needs to be prepared. However, if there is no excess slip wire, it is recommended to replace the festoon cable to prevent wire failure and subsequent short circuit.
If you are not sure what spare parts should be prepared for crane and hoist maintenance, please contact us and we will help you.
Parts that have a history of multiple failures and common wear parts such as wire ropes, load chains, collector shoes, and brake discs should obviously be maintained in inventory in case they require immediate replacement due to normal wear or damage from use.
The availability of critical parts and components is probably the biggest question mark in determining what parts to stock within MRO inventories. Common replacement parts with current production off-the-shelf hoists are usually not a problem in getting fast deliveries from the factory. Be very careful with research on parts availability for hoists and crane components where critical items or mechanical parts are manufactured off-shore. Lack of domestic inventory may force you into overseas air shipment or complete replacement of the equipment in a critical breakdown where parts are months off.
Parts for high capacity built up hoists and cranes are very likely to be custom or special order. This is also the case for older hoists and end truck assemblies that are no longer manufactured. Quite often support of replacement parts is limited to five or ten years after the production of a hoist model is discontinued.
Spare parts consideration varies based upon the crane component and features.
Hoists & Trolleys
Wear parts such as wire ropes, load chain, hook latches, and brake discs should always be stocked for quick replacement. Rope guides on many European style hoists should also be kept in stock as they can be easily damaged during use.
Hoist Drums, hooks, sheaves, and trolley wheel wear should be identifiable well in advance of a required repair allowing planned purchase. Hoist and trolley motors with complete brake assemblies often have long lead time and are a wise addition to MRO stock on critical cranes.
Stock of hoist and trolley gearbox parts, as well as bearings and seals, is warranted on older units that have not been rebuilt recently. Lead times on older hoist gearbox parts can be very long.
Crane End Trucks and Drives
Wear parts such as crane wheels can be determined in advance of repair. Bearings, however, should be stocked in case of failure. Note that bearing failure may result in wheel damage as well. So it might be wise to stock one complete wheel assembly with bearings. Bridge motors with complete brake assemblies often have long lead time and are a wise addition to MRO stock on critical cranes.
Hoist and Bridge Control Components
It is always smart to stock critical electrical components such as all required fuses, transformers, and contactors as well as replacement limit switches. Hoist, bridge and trolley Variable Frequency Drives are also a wise investment in the case of drive failure.
Bridge Electrification ComponentsReplacement collector shoes and arms, as well as replacement sections of conductor bar, should always be stocked for potential damage to electrification system from normal use. Extra wires should be available in well-planned festoon systems, however, if there are no spare wires present, replacement festoon cable is recommended in case of wire failure and subsequent short.
Dejun Crane specializes in crane and hoist asset management. If you are unsure about what spare parts you should ma
intain for your overhead crane and hoist units, we can help.
