Around the world, popular ports handle huge volumes of cargo every year, and each plays an important role in intermodal transport by road, rail and river. In the process of handling goods, a reliable crane is essential. The case we want to share today is the renovation of a port bridge crane. In a previous article (Provide Equipment Refurbishment Services For Old Customers?) we mentioned the difference between refurbishing and buying a brand new crane, and in this case opting for refurbishment is clearly the best option.

Advanced material handling technology into the 200t overhead crane at the Tulsa port of Catoosa

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.

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.

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