P&H Hevi-Lift Hoist Repair and Modernization

Our service technicians were on-site at a cement facility in Iowa for a scheduled wire rope replacement when they uncovered severe corrosion damage on a 7.4-Ton P&H Hevi-Lift hoist. The hoist operates on a monorail system within a harsh industrial environment, and its structural degradation was so significant that it was unsafe to proceed. The job was immediately upgraded to an emergency service call, and the hoist was removed from service.

Problem: Taking the hoist out of service created a critical issue for the plant, as it's essential for access to a 176-foot tower. A standard replacement was off the table for two main reasons:

• Access Limitations: Performing this hoist repair at high elevation was already a challenge. But another challenge was that a newer office building completely blocked ground access for a mobile crane, which would have needed an impractical 500-foot reach. So we needed to develop a solution for how to perform this hoist repair with limited crane access.
• Cause of Failure: The original electrical panel mount created a collection point for moisture. After 40 years of exposure in the harsh industrial environment, this Hevi-Lift had such severe corrosion that it led to a damaged hoist frame and a failed dead-end connection.

Solution: Given the access constraints, our team developed a procedure for an in-place structural repair and modernization.

• Worksite Access: A custom scaffolding platform was engineered to provide a stable and safe work area for technicians.
• Deconstruction & Scope Definition: The original hoist panel and mount were removed, and the corroded frame section was cut out to define the scope for the hoist repair for a damaged frame.
• Component Fabrication & Procurement: New structural steel components and a new dead-end pin were fabricated. A new stainless steel NEMA 4X enclosure was procured as part of the hoist modernization.
• Structural Reconstruction: Our certified welder performed all on-site structural welding over a two-day period, integrating the new steel into the hoist frame.
• System Reassembly: The technician completed the electrical panel upgrade by building out the new stainless steel panel and installing it along with a new wire rope.

Result: On a subsequent site visit, the technician installed new trolley guide rollers and performed a 100% certified load test using certified test weights. The P&H Hevi-Lift hoist repair was successful, with the unit performing to all operational specifications.

The hoist was officially returned to full service. This in-place repair solution successfully circumvented the need for a cost-prohibitive replacement and upgraded the unit to prevent future weather-related failures.

Tri-State Overhead Crane is your go-to crane service team for hoist repair and modernization. We serve clients across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and are especially focused in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, and Oklahoma.