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Inspecting equipment can be very educational at times. I recently looked over a generator that was low on everything. Here are the findings.

  

Engine oil – not showing on stick and over 900 hours since last oil and filter change.

  

Fuel – Over 1600 hours since last filter service.

  

Coolant was low.

  

Air filters – Never changed, current hours are 2312.

  

Here are a few of the faults that were also noted.

• No grounding wire from generator to ground while in operation.
• Top of generator tinwork crushed. (Loader Accident)
• Towing hitch bent and twisted. (Backhoe Mishap)
• Two of four tires flat. (Bent rim on one)
• Engine access door missing. (?)
• One of two fan belts missing.
• Alternator belt loose.
• Battery cells low and battery loose.
• Radiator clogged due to oil leak.
• Engine oil leak at oil filter.
• Radiator overflow tank has hole in bottom.
• Unit engine and generator compartment also used to store hoses, electrical cords, tools and garbage.

  

I brought all these points to the attention of the foreman that was using the generator and he explained to me that they run it till it shuts itself down or the idiot lights won’t turn off when you start it. He also explained that they had no oil or coolant on hand to keep it topped up and that was not his fault. So he just runs it till it shuts itself down.

  

I never knew you could operate equipment like that? I guess I have been doing it wrong all these years by checking the fluids and topping them up prior to starting it. I was taught years ago that the idiot lights were for letting idiots know there was a problem because they did not check fluids prior to starting.

  

I hate to say this but this is not unusual! This has become the norm! This is how most equipment is being treated today. I met a young mechanic a few weeks back that was about to get a brand new service truck. The truck he was driving was only three years old but was all ready torn up because he was not taking care of it. When I commented that he must be excited about getting a new service truck he said it was not a big deal for this will be his third (3^rd) new service truck and he has all ready worn out two service trucks in his time as a mechanic! And he said it as if it were a bragging right!

     

I have concluded that the only reason most of the companies that allow their equipment to be treated like this are still in business is that most of their competition is also operating in the same manner. At least till a competitor comes along that is operating smarter and in a more cost effective manner.

  

But at least I have plenty of material to work with for the blog.

  

Semper Fi

Safety – Productivity – Risk Factors – Profit

They are all big key words in industry.  But most of us think of equipment, number of employees, materials and deadlines as the prime determining factors. But they are not the most critical factor.

Knowledge is the most critical factor. And a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

When performing equipment inspections it is a rare event for me to meet an equipment operator who actually KNOWS and understands the machinery and all its functions and maintenance needs. It is normal to find safety devices and systems bi-passed or disabled. Why? It gets in the way. But that is what it is suppose to do! Stop you from doing something you are not supposed to do in the first place.

Now no one can know everything about every subject – that is not the point here at all.

The point is that if your job requires you to perform a certain task more than once it is to your own benefit and perhaps the safety of others to LEARN enough about all aspects to do it well.

If the job involves machinery, heights, electricity, or other hazards you owe it to yourself and others to learn all that is needed to perform that task safety and in a productive way.

But more often than not, there are way too many self appointed Experts running around claiming to know all about everything. These people can be the most dangerous individuals on a jobsite not to mention counter productive. They are easy to spot for they never want to listen to the ideas or opinions of others and hardly ever are able to function in a teamwork environment.

Let me clarify one key point about knowledge. All of us are lacking in knowledge in many areas. And a lack of knowledge about a certain subject naturally means we are ignorant in that subject. Ignorance simply means a person lacks knowledge regarding a certain subject. Take brain surgery for example, most of us are ignorant when it comes to how to perform brain surgery. So being ignorant in regard to a subject that is not part of our everyday lives is normal.

Then there is self-induced ignorance. Self-Induced Ignorance describes when a person has the information available to learn how to do his or her job and is even provided training and encouragement to learn the duties yet refuses to. They fail to read the instructions, listen in a class on the subject or just choose to perform in a minimum way. This is not a lack of knowledge or ignorance. It is self induced ignorance or better known as Stupidity.

Self induced ignorance or stupidity is the prime factor in accidents, lost productivity and rework.

Self Induced Ignorance can be found in every industry and at every level. I once met an operator on a drill unit in Houston Texas who seemed to know the machine inside and out yet could speak only rough English and could not read it at all. I was amazed when I learned he took the operators manual home and his daughter who was in high school translated it for him into Spanish! It was an honor to meet him.

But the same company had an English speaking employee with a high school diploma who knew just enough to make the drill turn. He knew nothing of the maintenance, safety requirements or limitations even though he had been operating the drill for several years. This is why knowledge is the most critical factor in industry! Not hard to determine which drill unit is going to be more productive and cost effective over the duration of the job.

Since my last article I have had the misfortune of meeting more than a few experts in different fields. These experts have left me absolutely speechless on occasion and I must admit that they do leave a lasting impression upon my memory. Over the years I have met many experts. In my younger years I looked upon them in awe. As I moved through life my opinion of experts has gone from awe to outright disgust and often fear of what they will screw up that will possibly cause damage, injury or worse.

Before I continue let me point out that I do not consider myself an expert at ANYTHING! I have worked in the crane industry for 30 years but do not consider myself an expert at cranes. The crane industry is constantly changing so it is an ongoing learning process. I have worked in Equipment Maintenance Management since 1985 when I first attended the US Navy’s 3M School and other schools but I do not consider myself to be a Maintenance Expert. I have also been working in database design for ten years and again I do not consider myself an expert. (As a younger man years back I did consider myself an expert on women but now three wives later and several houses and savings accounts I now realize that I was terribly wrong in thinking I had mastered that one!)

As the title of this blog suggest A Little Bit of Knowledge is A Dangerous Thing! Here are a few examples.

I know of a crane operator who has a CCO for all classifications of cranes except self erectors who will talk you deaf telling you that he is the only TRUE professional operator in all of Northern California and very possible the West Coast. He will even operate a rough terrain crane with only two outriggers down for he states that two are all that is needed IF you’re a truly professional operator. Well MR. Expert Crane Operator had to drop a 20,000 lb load a few weeks back because he was talking on his cell phone and swung a 4100 Manitowoc around with a low boom angle. The crane started to tip and he dropped the load to prevent the tipping but in the process shock loaded the crane and damaged the boom. Oh yeah and he also destroyed the load. Thankfully no one was hurt or killed.

Here is another expert crane operator! I inspected a hydraulic crane a while back and the auxiliary hoist cable was bird caged on the drum and broken wires and STRANDS! The expert operator argued with me when I said the cable had to be replaced because he said the cable was still good because he only used it once or twice per day! I repeat he thought that because he only used it a few times per day that it was OK to continue making lifts with it. He went on to inform me that he has a CCO Li and he had been through all the training and testing. Are you starting to catch on to why a little bit of knowledge is dangerous? (Please read blog CCO for Dummies!)

How about a Branch Manager of a Pier Foundation Co in Dallas Texas that demonstrated to all in a meeting how he was also an expert in equipment management! Yes not only was he an expert at drilling but he spoke up in the meeting to state that rather than maintain and repair equipment to reduce downtime it is better, cheaper and less trouble to simply paint the equipment! Yes he actually argued against spending money to M&R the equipment. He felt that when you slap a new paint job on equipment it just ran better! Now this guy has a sheep skin from Texas A&M! What would we do without our experts leading us along to greater things?

Except for the Experts that find cures for diseases or find a new dimension using Quantum Mechanics most Experts are NOT EXPERTS at all. And many are just using the term to hide their lack of true experience, knowledge and skill.

Bottom line is, know your job and all of its requirements! Make sure your departmental employees have all the learning material and training required to perform their duties correctly and in a safe productive way. Demand a dual flow of information, ideas and opinions when it comes to job performance between levels. Knowledge is the most critical tool your can utilize to accomplish any job.

Knowledge is like a tool on a shelf. It will never benefit you if you fail to pick it up.

Semper Fi

Looked into acquiring a Certified Crane Operators Li but decided against it because you did not want to have to sit for the test and pay all the fees?

Well have WE got a deal for you!  Thanks to all the Acme CCO mills popping up all over the state of California you can now get your CCO without having to go through all the trouble and huge cost!

Don’t like taking the test? Dont want to study? Not a problem! We can teach you to parrot the answers to the test so that while you don’t actually learn anything you will be able to parrot the correct answer on the multiple choice test! Why even a severely brain damaged individual can pass the written test with our proven method!

Never actually operated a crane before? Not a problem! We will make sure you pass the practical portion of the test or your money back! And we have never had to return a students money! We can make this money back guarantee because we provide only the finest primative, obsolete equipment that barely runs for you to test on! Why some of the equipment you will test on was actually used to build the Panama Canal and locks system! Yes we are talking hand operated cranks and stiff legs. Why if you can operate a com-a-long or chain fall you can pass the practical crane operating test with flying colors!  Just think you can be out on a construction project next week swinging steel beams over your co-workers heads and slopping concrete on the foremans new work truck and making big bucks!

Normally this terrific offer is provided at $99.95 but if you act now by signing your entire family up for training we will provide you with a special extra super duper discount of only $19.95 per family member! (Minimum 16 family members) That means you and your family could be the first family on your street to have all family members certified crane operators! This can include infant children, inlaws, outlaws, grandma and grandpa, invalides and sleep walkers! Why even the family pet can qualify as a family member as long as they do not wet the carpet while taking the written exam!

But you have to act now! All you have to do is verify that you meet the minimum qualifications and pay in advance by check or money order. The minimum qualifications are that you pay by check or money order in advance.

And when you mail us your check or money order in advance don’t forget to enclose a self addressed stamped envelope so we can send you a FREE schedule of our other upcoming technical training and qualifying classes on other subjects! Learn how you can become an explosive expert in just two days for only $29.99. And in the fall we have expanded our classes for brain surgeons!

I know your probably thinking I have gone off the deep end on this subject but this is one near and dear to me. I have been in the crane industry for 29 years as an operator, mechanic, certifier and manager. I was living in Australia when the Aussies launched their CCCO requirements back in the early 90’s and watched the same things happen there!

It was so bad there that just as a joke I sent my wife to one of the Ache Schools and in four one-half days she had her crane tickets as the Aussies call it. And because we operated a crane repair company at the time she knew more about cranes than all the other students!

I said it then and I am still saying it. Having a Crane License does not make you a QUALIFIED CRANE OPERATOR! Only years of experience can provide the true qualifications needed to operate a crane SAFELY.

If your an operator and your asked to operate a crane your not knowlegeable on let your employer know your true qualification level for the make and model your asked to operate. Everyone has to keep in mind that a license for anything simply means you have met the minimal requirement. Take time to improve upon that each and every day. That is what makes a really good and professional operator!

Semper Fi!

Any Mechanics reading this will know where this article is going!

 

You get called out to make a repair or perhaps just an inspection or some adjustments on equipment. Say it is a hydraulic crane. And the first time the operator swings the machine for you, you hear it, and feel it. The sound is a combination of a clunk combined with gears not meshing properly. You give the operator the emergency stop signal, and tell him to shut the crane down.

 

You climb up on the deck of the crane and take a look. The swing gearbox is loose and has been thrashing about held in place by the hydraulic hoses around it. The hydraulic hoses running to it are twisted and damaged. The pinion gear of the gearbox is also damaged with slight damage to the teeth of the rotex bearing.

 

The operator joins you and as you evaluate the situation he starts telling you how it has been making an awful racket for about a month. Did you report it on your daily report?! you ask him. Naw, no one ever reads them and besides I told that mechanic about a month ago when it first started making that noise and he said he would look into it. (It would be safe to say he did not look into it.)

 

You look in the operators log and daily visual sheets. The last report was from three months prior and by another operator on another job.

 

The operator, when questioned then tells you that he has had problems when he is using the crane and making a large lift the crane does not want to swing too good. (I wonder why?) And the noise gets real loud, sounds like the darn thing is about to explode! (Really?)

 

But what the operator is really upset about is the cab fan not working on high and the air conditioner is not cold enough. He can tolerate the noise in the swing system for he just turns his stereo up louder.

 

All jokes aside I have found the above example over and over again in regard to equipment care and it has become a lot worse over the last 15 years! I used to blame the operator for not taking just a few minutes to look his equipment over and report problems. And my blood pressure used to peg out when I would find equipment that has not been lubricated in months and sometimes years and I would blame the lube tech. But not anymore. Today you have to blame the equipment owner.

 

Over the last 30 years I have worked all over the world and in just about every industry you could think of. This would include Offshore, Movie Production Sets in Hollywood, Mining, Construction, Marine, and so many more. And regardless of the industry or country or the size of the company the single factor that determines overall equipment care and the resulting condition of the same is the attitude of MANAGEMENT!

 

Oh and did I mention Union and Non Union? Today there is no difference in regard to the workforce being Union or not. There used to be a huge difference! But no longer. Today the single factor that determines equipment care is the attitude of management and the resolve to manage effectively.

So what can be done? Plenty!

• Start properly managing the equipment and it’s utilization.
• Re-launch the requirement of daily reporting of all equipment by all users.
• Make all foremen responsible for the equipment they use and the operators that operate them.
• Build equipment management structure.
• Start tracking maintenance and repair requirements.
• Make sure the lube tech has more qualifications that just a Class B and a HAZMAT endorsement.
• If the person managing the equipment is also a manager in production move him out of that position and hire someone who can manage the equipment correctly.

Bottom line is that companies that do have a reasonable management system in place that is enforced enjoy a large advantage over all other companies. And it is up to the company management to make the changes.

Put another way, In one year a company can turn things around, start reducing cost, increase safety, increase productivity and reduce the risk factors. But first you have to start.

 

Semper Fi!

Here is just a few maintenance issues I come across when performing spot inspections on equipment. And let me state right now that you can find all of this within any companies operations from the largest to the smallest and with any degree of training and management.

If an operator has been running the same machine for three months but can not find the transmission dipstick you might have room for improvement.

When your inspecting equipment and you have to spend several minutes removing months of scum off the lens of the gauges in the instrument panel so you can see the gauges you might have room for improvement.

When you find someone has cut holes in the engine air intake piping so they can use starting fluid every time you might have room for improvement.

If your mechanic or one of your formen has to run all over the jobsite each morning and jump start all the equipment you might have room for improvement.

If your mechanic runs around jumpstarting equipment with a lit cigarette in his mouth you do have room for improvement and will soon have need of your workmans comp policy. Make sure it it up to date!

If hydraulic oil is your biggest equipment cost after fuel you might have room for improvement.

If you ask the person managing your equipment what the fleet size is and he returns a blank stare you might have room for improvement.

Have you ever realized that you own six backhoes and not five but it has been a long time since anyone has seen number 6 you might have room for improvement.

If you have a lube truck and a lube tech but you very seldom purchase bulk grease or gear oils for it you might have a lot of room for improvement!

If you spent less than $100 per unit for filters last year you might have room for impovement.

If your operators are not performing daily walk-arounds and safety inspections prior to startup you do have room for improvement!

If your mechanics are in standby mode waiting for something to break you have a lot of room for improvement.

If the equipment operator leaves for the day and leaves the Battery Operation Switch left on you might have room for improvement.

If you have to top up the hydraulic tank once a day or more you might have room for improvement.

If the person managing the equipment does not know more or less the current condition of the equipment and it’s repair needs you really do have room for improvement.

If you have rags being used as fuel and oil caps you might have room for improvement.

If your company has to keep extra equipment on a jobsite to cover for breakdowns you might have room for improvement. (There is a general contractor currently doing a major project worth over $500,000,000 that had three water trucks on the job to cover one requirement! And they still had to rent a water truck because all three of their water trucks we broke down!)

If the equipments filters have rust on them or the numbers have faded off of it you might have room for improvement.

Semper Fi!

The title was the best I could dream up for this topic so forgive me for a lack of imagination. I had the pleasure of spending a few days going over a new clients equipment on one of their projects in the LA area and I wanted to share some of the highlights with the readers of this blog. It will be worth your time I assure you! First off I want to say I did not do it all on my own. The clients equipment supervisor was working with me and I was very glad to have him along. He has an extensive mechanical background like my own in the crane industry. So we both had a good eye for spotting repair and PM needs. We even managed to argue over interpretation a little just to keep it interesting. He has been employed by the client company for about one year and his main objective is to bring a equipment management program on line. I am proud to say they selected KMS. He is very serious about improving the equipment factors in all regards for his employer and I know we will be working well together to do just that! All together we inspected about 14 units of equipment. Everything from street sweepers to cranes and all in between. And it was a real eye opener for the Equipment Supervisor. Most of what we found is what I like to refer to as the self inflected wounds. Lack of basic maintenance and repair and a lot of damage that no one knows how it happened let alone who caused it.  What we also found out was there was a lot of Eye Ball Maintenance going on. What I mean by Eye Ball Maintenance is that the lubrication points that are right in front of your eyeball and easy to get to have been serviced. But all the other points have been bypassed so many times that it is mission impossible to find any grease on a pin, bearing flange or drive line universal! Look under a unit at the axle king post bearing caps and they are bone dry. We found the same maintenance being performed on every unit we inspected. It was a good eye opener for the client although he all ready knew there was lot of room for improvement. But it is still good to see it with your own eyes.  Now before you start thinking it does not go on in your company you probably will want to go take a look for yourself. If you have humans performing your equipment maintenance chances are it goes on from one degree to another. And management is to blame just as much as the workers performing the maintenance. Visit most work places and watch what is going on. Who is performing most if not all the maintenance? Is it the youngest and least experienced person on the maintenance team or crew? Did he or she receive ANY training at all covering maintenance? How are they informed of ALL the lubrication points, what oil specifications are required, quantity and all the other requirements? Would it be safe to say that he or she was assigned to fueling, greasing and oil changes, shown just the basics and sent on their merry way? If this is the case the problem is within management. The workers are only doing what they were told to do and how to do it.  The problem with Eye Ball Maintenance is that the actual cost is not realized until Ear Drum Maintenance is called to the front by the sound of a bearing locking up and spinning in a housing. This is when the lube tech is placed on a torture rack or worse for it is after all his fault. But is it really?   

 

Semper Fi!

 

Transmission overheating and failure
As long as I have been working on cranes and machinery I have seen the same problem over and over again. Industrial transmissions that overheat and fail due to operating with a low transmission fluid level.
There are several reasons for this. 

• No one ever checks the fluid level 

• The oil level is checked with the engine OFF rather than running at idle. 

• The wrong fluid type OR several types of AT fluids and engine oils mixed in. 

Here is a case in point but by no means the only example I could provide. 

Several years ago I had to inspect an Omega Rough Terrain crane for a foundation company. The operator advised me that the crane was a pile of junk for the transmission was wiped out. Since I was there to inspect I asked him to expand upon the problem. He told me that it was so bad that they could only move it in the morning when it was cool for within a few minutes of running it it would not move at all. Then they would have to shut the engine off and let it cool for hours before they could move it again.  Several times it ended up blocking the yard and caused all kinds of delays in getting trucks loaded out. Several times they had even had to hook a dozer to it and drag it out of the way. 

Have you checked the Transmission fluid I asked? 

Where do you do that at? the operator wanted to know. (Later on I learned that he had been operating this crane for three years.) 

As soon as I went under the crane and put my hand on the dipstick he said he checks that all the time but never knew what it was for. <:-)  I pulled it and there was no fluid on the stick even though the engine was not running. I asked for AT fluid to top it up. They had to send a driver to go purchase some. When he returned we put 5 gallons of fluid into the transmission and then sent the driver back for another five gallons. All in all it took nine gallons to raise the fluid level to the operating range with the engine running. He also did not know that the engine is to be running when checking the oil level even though it states as much on the dipstick. 

After adding the fluid the transmission operated like new. I added to my inspection remarks that I highly recommend that the transmission fluid be changed as well as the inline filter and the suction screen. 

A year later I retuned to inspect the crane again. 

There was another operator running it that complained about what a piece of Cr** it was. He complained that you could not move it after the engine warmed up and to prove it he put it in forward and floored the throttle.  No surprise that the filter and fluid never was changed from a year ago. 

Some basic rules and recommendations concerning industrial transmissions and convertors. 

• Most require the engine to be running at idle and warm when the ATF is checked. 

• If your having transmission problems take a few minutes and check the tranmission manual PM requirements. Most transmission problems are due to a lack of maintenance. 

• If there is an inline ATF filter (most of the time there is) change it at least every 500 operating hours. 

• Some applications like torque convertors require bleeding air from the system. If the system is acting sluggish and weak or overheating check to see if air is in the system. 

• Most transmission and convertor systems have a leak or two somewhere, keep the correct fluid in stock for top up. 

• If the engine seems to be overheating and the engine coolant is good CHECK THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. Many transmission and convertor system cooling circuits run through the engine cooling system. If your having transmission problems it will overheat the engine. 

• On some older friction crane applications with a Twin Disc Torque Convertor the convertor actually uses diesel fuel from the cranes fuel tank rather than convertor fluid. Each and every time I was called out to trouble shoot a problem with one of these systems it turned out to be no more than a clogged filter. In fact I ran across this so often back in the 70’s and 80’s I use to keep the required filter on my service truck. 

Semper Fi!