PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-619

PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly

ISSUE 619

JUNE 2004
PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-619 - Page 11 of 33
2. After your mechanic changes the
vehicle’s steering filter element,
make sure
the hydraulic system’s
isolation valve is reopened.
The isolation valve is located directly
underneath the middle of the crane. If
it’s left in a “closed” position,
hydraulic fluid can’t flow through the
gearbox after vehicle start up. The end
result is your crane has a gearbox that
just went south.
PS 619
JUN 04
18
22-Ton Crane…
“O
ne thing leads to another.” Keep those words in mind before you start up the
22-ton crane.
That’s because several gearboxes on these cranes have bit the dust. A cracked
gearbox means your crane isn’t going anywhere until help arrives.
At $8,400 a pop, that’s a lot of greenbacks, so listen up.
Here are two ways to stop the crack-up:
1. When you drive the crane from the superstructure,
make sure
the cab carri-
er’s steering wheel isn’t locked in place by a security chain or cable.
A carrier steering wheel that’s locked in
place means it can’t move (turn) while
you’re driving the crane from the super-
structure/crane cab. This causes instant
destruction of the gearbox, not to men-
tion a Class III leak. That’s because the
gearbox is mechanically linked to the
vehicle’s hydraulic steering system. In a
nutshell, the hydraulic pressure can be
catastrophic!
Make sure cab carrier’s steering
wheel isn’t locked in place by a
security chain or cable
Make
sure
hydraulic
system’s
isolation
valve
is open
otherwise, my
gearbox will
crack right up!
it makes the
difference
between a
completed
mission and
wondering
“what went
wrong?”
follow
these
pointers…
…or
I’ll crack
up!
Keep these
PM pointers in
mind
before
the day’s run.
let’s get
that chain
off
your steering
wheel and get
to work!
619. 18-19 (C)
4/30/04
11:37 AM
Page 1
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