PSA: My crane's main hoist brake started slipping on a lift in Phoenix last month

I mean, it was a standard pick, maybe 15 tons of steel beam, nothing crazy. I was bringing it up over the third floor when I felt that little shudder in the controls, you know the one. The load just hung there for a second and then dropped about six inches before the brake caught again. My heart was in my throat, idk about you but that feeling never gets old, and not in a good way. I set it down real slow right where it was and shut everything off. Turned out the brake lining was worn way thinner than it should have been, and the adjuster was basically maxed out. I had to call the shop out and we lost a whole afternoon. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we're pushing these older machines harder with these tight schedules. Has anyone else had a close call with a hoist brake recently, and what's your check routine for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixb6618d ago

Man, that shudder is the worst feeling in the world. I caught mine starting to slip on a routine monthly check, just testing it with the block. My routine now is a visual on the lining every Monday, and I do a static hold test with a light load first thing every single morning. If it creeps at all, I'm shutting it down.

hannah_flores9918d ago

Honestly, that Monday visual check sounds like overkill to me. My company's crane is from 2005 and we just follow the manual's service schedule, which has been fine. That shudder you felt is probably why those schedules exist, to catch wear before it's a real problem. Pushing machines is what they're built for, and a lost afternoon for a brake lining is just normal maintenance downtime. I've never done a static hold test every morning, that seems like it would eat up a lot of billable hours for very little extra safety.