Having access to a functioning crane can make any large manufacturing process run smoothly. Without the lifting power of a reliable crane, it would be difficult to transport the material needed to complete your project. Proper maintenance is essential when it comes to maintaining the condition of your crane. If your machine relies on a chain lifting system, caring for your crane's chain links is imperative.
Here are three tips to help ensure your crane's chain lifting system stays functional well into the future.
1. Conduct regular visual inspections.
Regularly inspecting your crane's chain links for signs of damage can be a simple way to help preserve the integrity of your machine. Before the crane is fired up each day, a visual inspection should be conducted by the crane operator.
Some important things to look for as the visual inspection takes place include bent links, cracks in the areas where links have been welded together, and corrosion pits on the surface of the links. If any of these conditions are observed, the damaged links should be replaced before use to prevent accidents.
2. Keep your chain links lubricated.
If you are looking for a simple way to extend the life of your chain lifting system, applying lubrication to the chain links regularly is a simple solution. Lubrication helps to prevent corrosion from affecting the integrity of your crane's chain, and it can also help in preventing too much pressure from being placed on any one link by allowing the chain to slide easily along its track.
As you look for a lubricant for your chain lifting system, be sure to invest in a product that contains no solvents that will harden on the surface of the chain's links. You may want to find a lubricant with a tackifier to help the chain adhere to the wire rope hoist, even if the weather conditions are less than ideal.
3. Check the setting of your crane's chain.
As your chain lifting system is used each day, there is the potential from some of the chain's links to twist and get off track. When the chain isn't running through the chain guide and sprockets properly, one of the links could snap.
Before firing up the crane, you should be checking to ensure that the chain is lying flat and running smoothly through the guide system.
Maintaining your crane's chain links is important when it comes to ensuring that your crane will operate properly in the future.
Contact local professionals, such as those from American Equipment Inc, for further assistance.
