“A hook block is an assembly to which the hook of a hoist or crane is attached; it typically consists of a steel enclosure housing a number of sheaves or pulleys that carry the ropes or chains that facilitate the lifting of a load. Although this sounds unnecessarily complex, it...

Making sure that decent mats (sometimes called spreader plates) or timbers are always under the crane’s, aerial lift’s and larger telehandler’s outriggers or wheels/tracks is an essential part of crane operation and safety.​ Multiple outrigger positions, capacities and load charts add superb versatility to a crane or work platform, allowing...

As an owner of any GMK (except GMK 2035-1), regular inspection fo the MegaTrak suspension assembly should conducted every quarter. WISHBONE  | For instance an inspection can identify a wishbone that is noisy or it does not move up and down easily. This means the wishbone connector bolts (Figures 1 & 2) may need...

We recently overhauled a Grove RT 9130E boom at Chirano Gold Mine in Ghana. Grove recommends that the retract cables are renewed every 7 years, and we also took this opportunity to replace all the wear pads / slides inside the boom. When it comes to Grove Power Booms we refer...

The 3DLiftPlan.com website offers one of the industry’s best lift solutions software applications, aiding customers in lift planning, crane selection, rigging planning and ground-bearing pressure optimization.  The free access to 3D Lift Plan is the result of a new partnership between Manitowoc Cranes and Fernandina, Florida-based A1A Software, a company...

KZ100 Synthetic Hoist Rope 80% ligther than wire Easy handling/reeving and installation Reduces number of change outs due to elimination of kinking, bird caging, or damage from diving Torque-neutral construction eliminates load spin and cabling Corrosion resistant – no rusing, no lubing Reduces risk of hand injury from broken wires...

Senior engineer James Savoy recently retro fitted a load indicator onto one of Mobicrane’s SMV16-1200B. To do this they installed an additional wiring harness, a XA2 box (input and output board) and a pressure sensor. The team also installed an upgrade of the software on the MD3 screen and calibrated...

A 3rd wrap indicator alerts the crane operator that the hoist drum is down to its 3rd wrap and that no more rope should be reeled out. The end clamp pictured below is not designed to hold the load, and if that occurs the rope is sure to snap. A...

In line with our long-standing partnership with Konecranes our Ghana- and Nigeria-based engineers received training in the proprietary Mainman programme in June. Mainman is the industry’s most comprehensive periodic maintenance report system for overhead cranes. It assists approved inspectors to deliver consistent, replicable inspections with the appropriate level of preventive...