Runway issue caught before crane install saves thousands of dollars

Air & Lube provides complete hoist, lubrication, compressed air, wash and waste water systems for fleet maintenance.

Cranes for cutting-edge fleet maintenance

Sacramento Municipal Utility District was building a new fleet maintenance facility. Air & Lube Systems, a leader in fleet maintenance construction, was hired to design the building and select the equipment. We worked with Air & Lube Systems and a general contractor to specify the cranes.

Air & Lube Systems purchased three cranes: a 25-ton CXT wire rope crane equipped with variable frequency drives to handle poles and other large components and two five-ton CXTs with two-speed controls for the truck maintenance bays. All three were rated CMAA Class C. We included a clause that specified that crane runways, built by another supplier, must fall within CMAA tolerances.

Dodging a bullet on the install

When it was time to install, Konecranes' Joe Page realized that the runway for the two five-ton cranes did not meet CMAA specs. Rather than the one-sixteenth to one-eighth inch elevation deviation that is allowed in 100 feet, the 60-foot runway was an inch and a quarter off from end to end, with gaps in the rails larger than one-sixteenth inch. Runways that are not straight are a major culprit in premature equipment wear.

Page recommended a RailQ Survey to prove the runways were out of alignment. The survey also revealed that the end stops for the cranes had been left off the design, so we assisted in engineering the fix.

Proactive approach cements a partnership

Josh Hoover, project manager for Air & Lube Systems, said our proactive approach saved his customer substantial time and money. “Konecranes has been a good partner for Air & Lube Systems,” said Hoover. “When we bid projects we always get multiple bids. So far, Konecranes has beaten everyone they’ve bid against. In addition, they were professional to work with and completed the project on schedule.”

“Catching the problem with the runway before the install probably saved about $10,000. They saved a lot of money plus the time needed to disassemble the cranes, realign the rails and put them back up – likely another couple of weeks.”

Learn more about our RailQ Survey

Learn more