Since an overhead industrial crane is such a huge investment, it’s necessary to do regular inspections and maintenance on it to keep it in good working order. The following advice from MIT Hoist, one of the leading crane wheel manufacturers, can assist crane operators and owners in keeping their machines in good working order for decades to come.
Remember that this isn’t an excellent summary. Crane wheel manufacturers should be followed up for machine-specific inspection and maintenance recommendations.
How to Keep Crane Wheels in Proper Working Condition?
A functional crane is equipped with a set of polyurethane or carbon steel wheels that are critical to the crane’s operation.
This set of wheels pertains to the crane’s runway system, which moves across a track and is also called as rail wheels.
Seemingly made of very strong material, they nevertheless need to be maintained on a regular basis. Eventually, you could have to deal with a lot of downtimes.
Gantry crane wheels are generally made of polyurethane, although they can also be made of alloy, low-carbon steel, or medium-carbon steel.
A crane wheel will be more resilient if the carbon content of the steel is more.
Carbon wheels that have been heating processed are also exceptionally hard-wearing, enhancing their load capacity and durability.
The following are some of the most popular preventative procedures to keep your crane wheels in good shape—
Changing Drive Wheels In Pairs Is The First Step
In most cases, extra rail wheels are maintained on site in case a rail wheel needs to be changed.
However, it is critical to replace a crane’s driving wheels in pairs rather than as single wheels.
This may appear to be a waste of time, particularly if the other drive wheel is still functional. Failure to do so, however, will result in crane alignment concerns in the future.
It doesn’t mean the opposite drive wheel is in perfect operating order since it doesn’t display symptoms of wear and damage.
It’s also very close to collapse many times on average since it has been put under counterproductive strain.
To eliminate crane skew, flange, and rail degradation, your crane driving wheels must be properly matched in size.
Disorderly Crane Runways
Crane skew and misalignment problems can occur as a result of this.
If your crane’s runway system or crane end carriages are not installed by a competent specialist, it can cause serious problems with not just the wheels, but the complete crane system.
Damage to the runway beams, drive wheels, and structures occur when a crane does not track properly along the runway.
Crane damage of this type can eventually lead to—
- 1. Fatal crash or full failure of the crane
- 2. Downtime of machinery for an extended period
- 3. Costly repairs and replacements
- 4. Accidents on the job place that are serious or fatal
The wheels, wheel bearings, and wheel flanges are all subjected to severe strain when a crane fails to move properly. The crane’s motor drives may also be damaged as a result of this.
Your crane runway may be uneven if you see any of the following conditions—
- 1. Wheel flanges that are broken or cracked
- 2. The level of wear and tear on the driving wheels, bearings, and rails is extremely high
- 3. To move the crane along the runway, more power was required
- 4. Wheels that float over the rail before crashing to the ground
- 5. As wheels drive down the runway, they make loud scratching noises
The easiest approach to keep your crane wheels in good shape is to get your crane alignment checked on a regular basis by a reliable third party.
Looking for Crane Parts?
At MIT Hoist, we have a wide range of material handling equipment, cranes and parts. From jib cranes to gantry cranes and bridge cranes and more, we have the right solution to meet your needs. We are one of the renowned crane wheel manufacturers and crane end carriages suppliers.
Get in touch with us today!