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. Konecranes worked with Air & Lube Systems and a general contractor to specify the cranes.
Air & Lube Systems purchased three cranes: a 25-ton CXT 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. Konecranes 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 Konecranes RailQ Runway 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 Konecranes assisted in engineering the fix.
Proactive approach cements a partnership
Josh Hoover, project manager for Air & Lube Systems, said Konecranes 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 all about the RailQ 3D Runway Survey
