Harbor cranes are some of the most essential material-handling machinery in freight harbors around the world. The entire supply chain depends on this awe-inspiring equipment to keep things running smoothly. When something goes wrong with a crane, this is not only a huge safety issue, but unplanned downtime can also be costly for the shipping company, port operator, manufacturers, consumers and ultimately the economy. Furthermore, both ANSI and OSHA have strict guidelines in place for harbor cranes, and any deviation can result in expensive fines and even a complete shutdown of operations.
So what’s the best way to ensure your harbor cranes not run with minimal downtime? The answer is planned maintenance for harbor cranes using Jaltest’s Off-Highway Equipment kits from Triad Diagnostic Solutions. Planned maintenance is essential when caring for your harbor crane, and with such a program in place, you’re putting a guarantee on the equipment that it has been properly inspected and cared for in accordance with guidelines.
Still, guideline compliance isn’t the only reason you should be performing maintenance on these cranes. There are extensive benefits to keeping the shipping yard and its heavy machinery up and running.
Top 4 Benefits of Maintaining Your Harbor Cranes
1. Better Overall Maintenance Schedule
It goes without saying that we all understand the importance of caring for expensive machinery. Therefore, we also recognize that a lack of proper maintenance isn’t always intended. In fact, a lack of maintenance is often due to the harbor crane being in use when a maintenance crew shows up.
With a planned maintenance program for harbor cranes, however, you can set aside time for the crane to be out of service so it can be properly maintained. When you plan ahead for maintenance, freight workers can reroute and stay productive while the crane is out of use.
2. Improved Inspection Recording
One of the biggest and best benefits of a planned maintenance program is the improved recording of inspections. As with any crane care program, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lost in inspection forms. With planned maintenance in place, you’ll have a much easier time managing the sea of paperwork. With better organization, you’ll be able to keep track of the most important details of your maintenance efforts.
3. Detect Maintenance Issues Earlier
As discussed, harbor cranes are responsible for carrying heavy loads over employees and assets. For this reason, you can’t do anything to jeopardize safety. Proper inspection of your harbor crane not only prevents tragedy and damage but allows you to detect maintenance issues earlier. An inspection is only one component of a planned maintenance program, however! Aside from that, you need to ensure that the lowering and lifting components will perform properly, that brakes can stop the crane, and that all of your harbor crane’s moving mechanisms are properly oiled.
Waiting until a problem with your harbor crane presents itself is not only irresponsible but also far from cost-effective. Planned maintenance makes it easier to notice small issues before they become large problems, disrupting productivity and putting workers at risk. Use planned maintenance to find and address problems early!
4. Increase the Lifespan of Your Harbor Crane
Finally, planned maintenance increases the lifespan of your harbor crane. Replacing a crane is expensive and time-consuming. When you implement a maintenance program for your harbor crane, you can repair issues without components breaking down completely. This is crucial as it is common knowledge that when a crane’s central component fails, it tends to cause damage to each component down the line. Planned maintenance on harbor cranes allows you to keep the wear on major components to an absolute minimum, significantly increasing your crane’s lifespan.
Jaltest Off-Highway Diagnostic Kit: A Vital Part of Planned Maintenance for Harbor Cranes
Now that you understand the importance of implementing a planned maintenance program for your harbor crane, it’s time to discuss something that makes maintenance more accessible than ever: the Jaltest Off-Highway Equipment Diagnostic Kit.
Here at Triad Diagnostic Solutions, we provide diagnostic scan tools that make finding and addressing issues with your machinery more straightforward. Our selection of reliable tools, including the Jaltest Off-Highway Diagnostic Kit, guide technicians through each step of the repair process and ensures issues are fixed the first time.
The Jaltest Off-Highway Equipment kits provide extensive and continuously updated coverage, repair guides, and technical information in a user-friendly format. Designed for commercial machineries such as harbor cranes, and more, this kit is a vital component in any planned maintenance program. Check out our shop today and see our free demo for the Jaltest diagnostic software in action!
Photo: Canva – chinaface via Getty Images
Photo: Canva – Sukanya Sitthikongsak via Getty Images
Photo: Canva – chinaface via Getty Images