ArborTimes Fall 2022

“If the aerial lift will be parked for two-plus months, remove the battery and other removable electronics and store them indoors.”

The most common issue is not properly cleaning the equipment after each job. Photo courtesy of Spimerica.

only help. “Crews should be cleaning properly, doing daily inspections for dam- age and proper greasing of the boom and other moving parts,” says Ta. Cleaning is just as important, if not more so, for lis operating in winter months, especially when salt and sand on the roads can kick up from the trailer’s tires and hit the li. “Blow it off aer each job, and don’t over-grease your machine. When grease gets caked with sawdust, it will be difficult to tell if there is a cracked weld or missing fastener,” says Bailey. “Plus, the added weight of wet or frozen sawdust in winter months limits the ma- chine’s operational capacity, and can jam up mechanical sensors and cause them to throw erroneous messages.” Speaking of ice, it is a serious safety hazard for the team on the ground. It is imperative to have a heat source handy to de-ice a machine before raising the boom to prevent ice from cracking, sliding off and hitting someone.

Much can be done to optimize the performance of an aerial li simply by knowing the conditions it will be operating in and adjusting accordingly. “A few examples of ways to peak the performance of a li in winter include proper coolant, special hydraulic oil for frigid conditions, added moisture-con- trol bags, block heaters and many more,” suggests Rogers. Utilizing anti-gel additives for diesel engines will prevent fuel from turning

Utilizing anti-gel additives will prevent diesel fuel from turning into jelly. Photo courtesy of All Access Equipment.

ArborTIMES Fall 2022 | 9

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online