The breakdown of an overhead crane results in a decline in its productivity. Of course, crane operators out there know how costly loss of production can be. However, the following practices can help reduce the risk of downtime and crane breakdowns.
Preventive Maintenance
One way a crane operator can reduce the odds of their equipment breaking down is to adopt preventive maintenance measures for their overhead cranes. Like lubricating moving parts of a car, preventive maintenance is a vital step that a crane operator can take to ensure their equipment run efficiently for long. Preventive maintenance also reduces repair costs as cases of failure and downtime reduces significantly.
Leverage Remote Monitoring Technology
Crane operators can take advantage of remote monitoring software to monitor the operations and conditions of their cranes in real-time. Operators can also use this technology to track the usage of a crane and determine the number of its overheads, and it seems more accurate than the calendar when it comes to tracking and scheduling inspection. The internet has a lot of resources that crane operators can capitalize on to learn how to reduce failure and downtime of their overhead cranes.
Modernization or Crane Upgrades
Like any other equipment, technology and components of a crane will become difficult to replace and obsolete as it gets old. However, users can avoid the lengthy time taken to repair and replace any old mining cranes parts and service through modernizations and regular crane upgrades. Furthermore, upgrading a crane with the latest accessories allows the operator to capitalize on the newest technology and prolong the lifespan of their equipment. As a result, the safety of workers and their productivity will increase tremendously. Modernizations and crane upgrades can be cost saving compared to the cost of replacing or buying new equipment.
Inspection
Whether crane operators hire a crane service provider or conduct them themselves, regular checks can help increase the efficiency of a crane and reduce its downtime. Examination enables a crane operator to identify potential issues at the time they can be cost-effective and easy to fix. However, these inspections might not be enough to spot problems with critical systems such as hoist motor couplings, load brakes, bottom blocks, and gearboxes. You can ask a professional crane service provider to inspect all the components including the critical ones to avoid a catastrophe and downtime.
Train Crane Operators
People often overlook the aspect of training their crane operators as a strategy to increasing its efficiency and lowering its downtime. However, training should be on top of the list, as it ensures operators use the crane the way it was designed to work. Improper handling of any part of a crane can result in wear and tear ahead of schedule. Side pulling is one of the inappropriate ways of handling a crane because it initiates a load at an angle instead of a vertical orientation. The practice increases wear on parts such as the rope drum, rope pulleys, and sheaves.