Apr 23, 19 •
Cranes, Transmission •
Comments Off on What Equipment is Needed for Mining?
Mining equipment has been modernized over the last few years, and mining companies must be careful to purchase the right gear and parts for each job. Drillers and excavators are still needed to get the work done, but companies also need hand tools that work in the lowest parts of a mine, the parts to maintain these machines, and the extras that are required to keep the miners safe. Look below at what you need to do to buy the right mining equipment so that your operation runs smoothly.
Mar 12, 19 •
Cranes •
Comments Off on What is the Difference Between Articulating Boom and a Telescopic Boom?
There are two primary types of boom lifts on the market today: articulating and boom. Both are valuable additions to a work site that make it easier to get the job done. However, there are differences between the two types of boom lifts that make them better suited for specific uses. If you’re trying to decide which one is best for your work site, here’s what you need to know.
We are proud to announce we are a full-line distributor for Rudomatic taglines, hose reels, magnet reels and combination reels.
As a Rud-O-Matic Tagline distributor we will be stocking certain key and often required parts: Cables, Right and Left Hand Springs, Shafts for Multiple Barrel Taglines, Oil Seals, Gaskets, Bearings, Brass Bushings and Shear Pins.
Please contact us and we will help you with your tagline application needs.
Mar 11, 13 •
Cranes, News, World News •
Comments Off on New Technology Spotlight – UNIC Mini Cranes
Image courtesy of unic-cranes.co.uk
Typically we provide clutch and transmission services for some of the world’s largest and most powerful cranes. Our crane parts, clutches, transmissions, power take-offs, torque converters and brakes can be found doing work in a wide range of countries for a variety of jobs. But sometimes jobs on a smaller scale are still too much for us to do without some assistance. For those jobs, a large crane may be too much. For some of those jobs, a large crane may not even fit.
UNIC Cranes Europe claims to have “the world’s most compact mini cranes,” and it seems like they’re right. The company, based in England, has engineered and built some of the most impressive cranes on the market. Their cranes, which they call “spider cranes,” are small, light, durable and able to reach areas that are typically very difficult to access. Read Full Article →
The Boom: The boom of a crane is the long, telescopic, or fixed, arm that is used to move objects.
The Counterweights: The counterweights are stabilizers placed near the cab’s exterior that prevent the crane from becoming unbalanced when lifting heavy loads.
The Jib: The jib is the lattice-like structure that gives the boom the freedom to extend.
The Rotex Gear: The Rotex gear affords the crane the ability to rotate its apparatus, thereby better enabling it to do its job from awkward standpoints. Hook rollers are also used in some crane applications.
Heavy industrial cranes are filled with complicated, cutting edge machines and complicated, state-of-the-art parts, but at their core cranes are very simple machines. They leverage several basic laws of physics to make extraordinarily difficult tasks like lifting enormously heavy objects easy.
Time spent not working is money poured down the drain, so the ability to respond instantly as soon as a breakdown happens is critical. Nonstop service capabilities can make the difference between project profitability and failure “” especially since so many industries we work with are hard at work around the clock. From our service center and machine shop in North Texas, we can respond at any time a need arises, providing excellent industrial equipment services.
Factor in time zone changes, and this flexibility becomes even more vital””when work breaks down in the middle of the day in the Middle East, you shouldn’t have to wait until the normal business day starts up again in Dallas to get technical support and troubleshooting advice. Read Full Article →
Nov 17, 10 •
Cranes •
Comments Off on A Tale of Two Ancient Civilizations (and the Early Cranes That Built Them)
From construction to freight to salvaging forsaken ships at sea, current and early cranes are simply the arms that do the heavy lifting powering our global industries. The world just wouldn’t be the same without them””and it’s our goal to make sure your cranes will perform powerfully, flexibly, and effectively until the jobs are done.
So how did cranes become such an integral part of all of our lives (whether we realize it or not)? Let’s take a look back through history:
Democracy and Devotion: Greeks Invent the Crane
Necessity is the mother of all innovation””and you won’t find a more urgent group of inventors than those under threat of being smote from above. For whatever reasons, the Ancient Greeks felt compelled to build huge temples to their gods, and traditional methods like ramps for moving and lifting the enormous building stones of massive monuments like the Parthenon just weren’t going to get the jobs done. Meet the crane: at first a simple winch and pulley system, and later a compound pulley system credited to Aristotle.
Today, you can see the difference in the way temples were built in different time periods. Pre-cranes, building blocks actually tended to be much larger, because so much effort was required to push each one up a ramp that it was less labor-intensive to use bigger and fewer blocks. Post-cranes, blocks were smaller, but stacked higher, in more complicated and advanced structures, and more quickly.
In the end, the Greeks proved just how much more ambitious projects could be with the help of a crane. The Egyptian slaves responsible for building the pyramids block by ramp-elevated block are still squirming with envy in their graves.
Mobility and Versatility: Cranes Power the Roman Empire
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but without the introduction of and improvement upon the Greek cranes, construction would’ve taken much, much longer than it did. In fact, the Romans were the first to use multiple cranes for cooperative lifting tasks, as is evident by the massive cornerstone blocks used in some of the famous structures.
But beyond the beautiful, historic, crane-built city still very visible today, perhaps the most impressive aspect of Roman crane use was the way they were used far from their home. Again””necessity drives innovation. And as the Roman Empire stretched further and further away from Rome, and as conquering armies became more and more ambitious, mobility and versatility in their cranes became key. The Roman army needed cranes that could move quickly, be assembled and torn down quickly, and perform a variety of tasks””all without losing their powerful lifting capabilities.
Today, you can see that influence in how mobile cranes are used all over the world. You find them on boats, docks, trains, and trucks, often able to be quickly adapted for difficult, unusual tasks. Lifting capacity has skyrocketed, up to 1,000 tons. In the end, the Romans proved just how much mobility and versatility multiply capability.
At K&L Clutch, we understand just how many ways your business relies on your lifting capabilities. When a crane breaks down, we can be there””just about anywhere in the world””with the industrial machine parts to get your project back on track in no time.
This great post has been a long lasting servant, and we recently decided to put out an update. Go ahead and read this too, though – It’s an oldie but a goodie!
After that, read our update: Boom Cranes: History, Parts and Anatomy
Cranes are multi-faceted pieces of apparatus, and while they are capable of some quite incredible feats the way they actually work is based on some pretty straightforward laws of physics. Boom cranes are used to effectively and effortlessly lift heavy and/or awkward to move objects. The crane is most commonly used to hoist weighty equipment and/or materials on construction sites and to load cargo to ships. Read Full Article →
Crane disasters have become quite prevalent in the world as the expectations for rapid urban development have increased globally. Bigger building, bigger projects, and exploding payrolls for the biggest construction companies have attracted a glut of workers, trained and untrained, to build these projects. No matter how much time is dedicated to safety accidents and crane collapses will happen.
1. “Big Blue” – Milwaukee, WI 1999
The larger the equipment that is used the larger the accident that can happen. On a frigid afternoon in July of 1999 occurred the crane accident of all crane accidents. A 567-foot crane in use had its own name, and to this day the accident is still referred to as “Big Blue”.
Crane operators working on the Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI were moving the largest piece of rooftop for the stadium, estimated at 423 tons. When it collapsed, it did so in dramatic fashion with numerous injuries and three fatalities. The wind was blamed eventually for the collapse at gusts of up to 35 mph.
2. Boston, MA 2006
Many construction accidents happen in construction zones, but sometimes they happen in the middle of a city. This is exactly what happened downtown Boston during April, 2006. At 10 ton construction platform plummeted 13 stories onto the traffic below instantly killing three people. The scaffolding in question was not a crane of any sort, but it deserves a spot on this list.
Crane Accident in Boston: April, 2006
3. Battersea, England 2006
One neighborhood saw destruction in Battersea, England in September of 2006. A crane collapsed onto a group of houses and car-park killing two people.
Crane collapse in Battersea kills Two
4. Bellevue, WA 2006
Accidents seem to happen when we least expect them. In November 2006 in Bellevue, Washington, A crane operator was shutting down his crane to go home for the day. Witnesses reported hearing a loud crack sound right before the crane toppled on the surrounding condos. One man was killed sitting in his home.
Bellevue, Washington 2006
5. New York, NY 2007
Yet another New York, New York accident happened in December 2007 when the lifting sling of a crane snapped. A load of roughly seven tons dropped 13 stories. Luckily, only one worker was injured, and no one lost their life.
Crane Accident: New York 2007
6. New York, NY 2008
Seven people died in the deadliest crane accident in March 2008. A crane towering over 200 feet in the air crashed into a couple of buildings and wiped out a townhouse completely. This accident marked the worst single death toll by a crane in New York City, New York history. The disaster was a sobering moment for the city as it was two days away from its annual St Patrick’s Day celebration.
7. Miami, FL 2008
March 2008 was a bad month for cranes. While New York was still reeling from its string of accidents Miami, FL was poised for its own tragedy. The crane that was helping to build a 46 story skyscraper Biscayne Bay suddenly lurched towards a home below crushing two workers and injuring five more. The force was so strong that onlookers described it as if an earthquake had struck the bay.
8. New York, NY 2008
New York City, New York seems to be a bastion for construction accidents and May of 2008 was no different. The same construction site had received at least one previous safety violation along with numerous complaints from members of the community. From a height of 20 stories, one crane dropped towards the site below crushing two crew members.
9. Houston, TX 2008
A giant tower crane capable of lifting thousands of tons made its home at an oil refinery in Houston, Texas. This particular crane found itself instantly destroyed before it had even completed being put together. During July of 2008, during the actual assembly of the crane itself, the crane snapped of at its base, smashing cars, cracking asphalt, and taking four people with it.
10. Cai Lan, Vietnam 2008
July 2008 was a tragic day in the port of Cai Lan, Vietnam. Seven workers were killed and six were injured badly. It is impossible to tell the tale of all the crane accidents that have happened in modern times. This list covers some of the more famous ones. It also gives an idea of the many mishaps that can lead to costly and usually fatal accidents.
The Boom: The boom of a crane is the long, telescopic, or fixed, arm that is used to move objects.
From construction to freight to salvaging forsaken ships at sea, current and early cranes are simply the arms that do the heavy lifting powering our global industries. The world just wouldn’t be the same without them””and it’s our goal to make sure your cranes will perform powerfully, flexibly, and effectively until the jobs are done.
