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PRODUCT SUPPORT
INDUSTRY FOCUS
OCTOBER 2014
ACT
Restoring an old crane is
one thing but restoring a
badly damaged new crane
was quite the challenge
for Certified BoomRepair.
crane structure itself including thebooms
andboom lift and extend cylinders is
incredibly toughand sufferednodamage.”
CertifiedBoomRepairhada strong
relationshipwith the company that bought
the salvaged crane.
“They trustedCertifiedBoomRepair to
provide the structural repairs andpeace
ofmind required to tackle aproject of this
size,” saidSmith.
Nuts to bolts
The repair and restorationprojectwas
deeply complex. It required complete
teardownof the engine and transmission,
complete rebuildof forward frame rails,
both cabs, counterweight assemblyand
re-wire to factory specifications.
“Every componentmounted to the frame
railshad tobe removed,”Smith said. “This
includesbrackets,wiring,motormounts
B
ack in2011, abrandnew
Link-BeltHTC8675wasbeing
delivered from the factory in
Kentucky to itsnewowner inTexas. But as
bad luckwouldhave it, the lowboy trailer
the cranewasbeinghauledongot intoan
awful predicament. It became stuckon
live railroad tracks.Withnowhere togo,
anoncoming trainwasnot able to stop in
time and struck the crane and trailer.
“Very fortunately, noonewashurt,”
saidMikeSmith, president,Certified
BoomRepair, Tampa, FL. “Although the
frame rails andvirtuallyall thehardware
forwardof the front outriggerboxwas
destroyed, aswereboth cabs, theLink-Belt
A trainwreck
Certified Boom Repair performed all the
straightening andweldingwork and then had
it third-party inspected and certified.
Surveying the damage, the
technicians and engineers
at Certified Boom Repair
realized that the crane could
be repaired.
transmissionmounts, andallwith the
notion that theyhad tobe re-installed
back to theway it cameout of the factory.
Countlesspagesof notes, pictures taken
andhoursof reverse engineeringwere
crucial to the successful rebuildprocess.”
The frame railsweremadeof 100,000
PSI yield steel. Theyhad tobe sent toa
specialist in theNortheast tobe formed to
the correctmeasurements.
“We trust themwithour steel breaking
for cranebooms aswell as frame rails,”
saidSmith. “Theprocessof forming the
steel accuratelywas critical to theprocess
andasusual theydidan excellent job.”
As forpartsneeded fromLink-Belt, he
said therewere some suspensionparts,
motor and transmissionmounts aswell
as electrical parts.CertifiedBoomRepair
also installednew suspension, tires and
steering componentson the crane and
provided supportwith the logisticsof the
certificationprocess.
After the cranewas repairedand
restored, a third-party inspection, load
test and recertificationwas conductedby
DennisO’Rourke, founder andpresident,
NationalCraneServices,Orlando, FL.
“This crane is inamazinglygood
conditionandhandledall operatingand
load test requirements, includinga50-ton
lift, aswell as anywe’ve ever recertified,”
saidO’Rourke.
Formorephotosof the repair, visit
.
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Thorough third-
party inspection
and testingwere
performed to
make sure the
cranewas able
to lift its chart
capacity.
