Crane Wheels

This week let’s chat about the importance of Crane Wheels.   The slip of an engineers pen. The specification made in error. And finally the error is transposed onto a drawing. These are all very easy mistakes to make, and it has happened in the past and continues to happen in todays’ crane installations.   Did you know that an I-Beam (or S Shape Beam) has an angled flange. A W Shape Beam (H Beam) has a flat flange. Why is this so important? The crane wheels must match the profile. For example, an Angled beam (S Shape) requires an angled wheel.   Trolleys that are motorized with mismatched wheels are a problem. Bridges with mismatched wheels are also a problem.   Why does this happen? Often a structural contractor will install the steel and then a crane manufacturer will assume the flange is flat. Workers will then not see the wedging effect or misalignment, as the assumption is that the build is proper.   A flat wheel operating on an S-Shape with the angled flange will, over time, open up or show up in the form of different service conditions.   Our next blog will discuss additional technical details about this condition and corrective action.   At Crane Tech Services we save you money.   Using Crane Tech Services keeps your workers safe.   If you are in the Barrie, Newmarket, Huntsville, Peterborough, and Toronto areas give us a call.   We inspect cranes, auto hoists, elevating lift platforms, bridge cranes to name but a few.   Remember that the Crane Tech Inspection team can conveniently inspect all of your lifting equipment at the same time. One call for all of your lifting equipment!   Crane Tech inspects and maintains your Hoist Lifting Equipment. Call us, see us on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, and visit our website for more information.   We know your equipment best!