In fact, we have not provided crane refurbishment solutions for overseas customers in the past 30 years. We study cases to observe from other perspectives whether we are doing enough for our clients. We’ve covered this a lot in a previous article (Is the renovation of bridge crane cost-effective? ) where we mentioned the difference between refurbishing and buying a brand new crane. Today's case takes place in a port in the United States. Around the world, popular ports handle a large amount of cargo every year, and each port plays an important role in intermodal transportation by road, rail, and river. In the process of moving goods, a reliable crane is essential. After analyzing the customer's working conditions and needs, renovation is obviously the best choice.

Refurbishment of 200-ton bridge crane using advanced material handling technology
The port is served by a sophisticated multi-hoist 200t bridge crane which had to be totally stripped and renovated. The renewal of the crane was critical because port authorities expect the completion of expansion of the Panama Canal this year will provide new opportunities for container cargo to be delivered to the Port of New Orleans and onwards into the country’s inland waterway systems, of which the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is a major part. The redevelopment project had seen major works around the port, including a new 720USt dock on which the crane is located and 6,000 track feet (1,829m) of new rail.

installing new and upgraded components
Major component upgrades included: new built-up 100/50USt and 100/40USt 17ft gauge outdoor trolleys; new bridge wheel assemblies with eight new 30in diameter 90° MCB heavy duty wheel assemblies to fit existing end trucks; bridge drives, supports and jack shafts; an automated rail clamping system that secures the overhead crane bridge during storm-force winds; new runway and bridge rails; ergonomic climatecontrolled driver’s cab with console chair system and flux vector/variable frequency drive controls capable of individual and simultaneous motions between trolley hoists.

With lifting heights of over 90ft, the crane is integral to tasks such as loading barges that can hold as many as 15 rail cars or 60 truckloads of cargo for maximum cost efficiency and minimal environmental impact.

installing new and upgraded components
Why choose to refurbish rather than buy a more advanced crane
By analyzing the work content of the port, we can know that refurbishing cranes is more popular than building new cranes, because building a completely new crane requires time and expense, and all its functions and versatility are already included in the structure of the original purpose-built crane. middle. The port’s customers and stakeholders achieved a win-win by deciding to undertake a cost-effective rebuild, saving significantly on the cost of a new design while also benefiting from the introduction of the latest safety and logistics technology on the refurbished cranes.

In this case, the customer essentially replaced everything except the existing girders, some end trucks, the runway, and the runway structure. Sections that were not replaced were also repaired, prepped, primed and painted to ensure continued durability.

The project began with the removal of existing trolleys, each weighing more than 50,000 pounds, via a mobile crane. Subsequently, the old runway guardrails were removed and the old bolts, which remained stubbornly intact after decades of use, were burned.

Crane service experts arranged for the lifting and removal of the drive and idler beams, each weighing more than 114,000 pounds, and their transport by multi-wheel transporter to the project yard for removal and refurbishment. The control panel and all conduit were removed and replaced with a new 25-foot stainless steel control panel, and the aisles were replaced.

Finally, the new equipment is reassembled, reinstalled, powered up and load tested.

The crane upgrade is a multi-dimensional, phased undertaking designed to minimize customer inconvenience and the work must be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible to get the crane back operational within a limited timeframe

Feasibility plan for refurbishment of 200-ton bridge crane