Marina and shipyard owners alike know that if your travel lift is out of service it’s your money on the line. To avoid costly downtime, it is important to conduct periodic inspections of your travel lift.
Why Inspect your Travel Lift
• Increase the reliability of your machine – If there is one thing that marina or shipyards cannot afford, it is downtime as a result of equipment failure. By having your machine undergo routine maintenance, you not only increase the reliability of your travel lift, but you also show your customers your commitment to their needs.
• Extend the life of your most important investment – While there are many factors to make a marina or shipyard successful, it only takes your travel lift being out of commission for a couple of days to throw things off balance. Of all the potential problems a marina or shipyard can face, this can lead to some major headaches and lost money. That is why you should do all you can to keep your machine running in tip-top shape for as long as possible.
Travel Lift Service
During a routine travel lift inspection, there are a number of aspects to consider. Here is a list that we at U.S. Hoists have put together to help you protect your most valuable asset:
Visually inspect the lift cables and dead ends, slings, sheaves, sheave pockets, lift bars, steering system, pressure gauges, winches, drive motors, hoses and fittings, tubing, tires, wheel axels and bearings, chains and sprockets, oil seals throughout the machine, oil and fuel tank assemblies, hydraulic oil and more.
You should also, drain and replace all winch and drive gear oil as necessary, filter the hydraulic oil and replace the hydraulic oil return filter, check winch brake systems and repair or replace as necessary. In addition, you will need to lubricate the lift cables, steering pistons and valve spools as necessary, repair hydraulic fluid and gear oil leaks and realign the steering system if needed.
U.S. Hoists
At U.S. Hoists, we offer our regional customers a Field Service program designed to proactively maintain their hoists and help protect their investment. We provide a written report detailing checks conducted; work performed and recommended further maintenance steps if needed. We will need to know in advance of a service visit if there are any specific problems with the machine so that we equip our men with the correct replacement parts and take care of those concerns first.
Is you travel lift in need of service or preventative maintenance? Contact U.S. Hoists to start or continue your Field Service program today.
