New to the forum (and cranes hi everyone! American, living in Japan, trying to build a log cabin out in the mountains. I picked up an reaaaaally old "AICHI" boom truck from a friend who had already build two using it. Everything seems mechanically sound and I've already used it for a year but recently the wire rope broke when lifting a particularly heavy log. (it is a monster!) Anyhow, I have a connection with a local wire rope manufacturer so I put the two hooks the crane came with in the back of my van and brought them with me back to Tokyo so the new rope can be attached. The bottom one is what was on the crane, the top one I didn't even realize was there until I broke an old lock off one of the tool boxes on the back of the crane. It has a pulley and I'm guessing it's probable what I should be using for lifting logs? If so, my question is how do I rig it? The bottom one without the pulley was clamped on so I don't understand how the one with the pulley could attach to that or how it should be rigged....and help would be greatly appriciated!!
Will look something like the picture on the right, there should be a place near the end of the boom to pin the end of the wire rope to, you may need a becket. This block essentially reduces the load on the wire rope by half.
Thank you sooooo much for the response!! Here's the best pic I have where you can see the boom: http://imgur.com/6UwlktR (should be able to zoom in) There are two heavy metal plates with notches in them on either side of the boom (the ones covered in rust)...is it possible that's where to pin the end to? The other thing confusing me is the wire rope seems permanently pressed to the other hook. I seems odd they would need to cut it off each time to use the pulley hook....is it possible they intend you to use the hook itself to pin to the top of the boom? (would also require opening up the pulley hook to get the wire in there??)
These are the only things I can find on the net
Looking at your last photo in your first post, it looks like your rope is terminated with a thimble and an aluminium ferrule. The hook, which you'll probably hear referred to as a "headache ball", will almost definitely not be permanently attached to the rope. It looks like it may have a pin retained by the circular collar with a hole through it that you can see there. The pin may be rusted solid. That configuration is known as "single fall". If you were to remove the hook and reeve the sheave block you found in the tool box as per Lantraxco's diagram, you would then have "two fall" (at least in the terminology in the part of the world that I come from. Other dialects may vary). That, as Lantraxco said would halve the load on the rope and also the winch. Note however that that only doubles the physical lifting capacity of the crane which can easily outstrip the safe lifting capacity. The safe lifting capacity is solely dependent on the mass of the load and its radius from the crane.
I agree with Cmark's assessment and terminology. Even with a rusted cable like that it's unusual to break one. Have you been estimating the weight of your logs so you at least know how much you're overloading the crane? After adding that pulley the load on the ROPE and winch will be cut in half, but it will be even easier to break something else, or tip the crane over. The pulley will also slow down the speed by half, which might come in handy. You'll need to disconnect the cable from the headache ball, the cylindrical hook, to hook up the new cable. Rotate that thin ring 90 degrees and remove the pin or bolt or whatever it is that holds the eye of the cable. If you need to beat on it, don't beat it so much that it mushrooms over the head, it will make it much harder for somebody else to remove. Take it to a mechanic with a shop press to have it pressed out if it doesn't come out relatively easily.
The boys are steering you right, as to where to connect the cable end, there should be a place to pin it on to the rear of the sheave wheel it comes around, sort of like this picture:
You guys are awesome!!! Thank you sooo much!! I'm at work not but I just looked at the hook again and understand exactly what you mean about rotating the ring to allow the pin to be released. Hopefully it won't be too much trouble but even if it is, it's not going to hinder using the pulley hook with a new wire rope in the mean time. As to calculating the weight of the logs, I tried and gave up....the trees are "sugi" or "Japanese Cedar" which aren't actually cedar or anything like trees outside Japan. (appropriately named Cryptomeria) The taper on some of them is pretty bad too....and add to that guessing how much water is in them and you end up with really rough guesses at weight. At the moment, all I need to do is stack them on pairs of sacrificial logs for debarking and drying....slowly, carefully, and not moving them very far from where I fell the trees. The monster that broke the old wire rope was 1M in diameter at the base...far larger than any of the other logs I'm moving and after inspecting the barrels (not sure if it's the right term?) that lead the wire rope off the top of the boom, I think I'm either missing a pulley on that or the barrel just needs replacing as the rope has carved out multiple notches on the barrel over this thing's life and it's likely that had something to do with the rope breaking. (and idea where or how much I could get a replacement made....or am I better off repairing what I got?)
You need to post a picture of your 'barrels'. The rope shouldn't touch anything apart from the sheaves.
Some of the Japanese cranes I have seen have flat rollers for the wire rope to run on, on the flat top of the boom. They're just there for slack running, when the hook is loaded the wire rope is suspended high enough to stand clear from the winch to the head sheave. After having another look at the picture you posted the link to, it looks to me like the wire rope was routed incorrectly. Is that a flip over jib on the top? If so the line should not be over the pivot pin for that. Need more and closer pictures from both sides.
I think it's exactly that, a "flat roller" ....but the problem is the wire rope has carved grooves into it. The top is what the catalog is calling a "sub boom" (if that's not the right term, sorry...the locals call excavators back hoes and there are a ton of terms lost in translation or made up) as well as a jib. Looking at this catalog for a similar model, it looks like it connects to the end of the boom and extends it another 4 meters. http://www.hydro-crane.com/aichi/F-303.pdf Here are the best pics I have until I venture out to the mountains again: http://i.imgur.com/yWkdtF2.jpg http://i.imgur.com/7YjMjxP.jpg http://i.imgur.com/6jpA1pJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/24HS22e.jpg Wouldn't surprise me if it was routed incorrectly..... Wow, this looks waay worse than mine: https://www.jssr.co.th/parade35_photo.php?AUC=131&CAT=MISCELLANEOUS&TYPE=CRANE&ITEM=m01a000113101
OK, back from more logging and got some more pics of the thing.... Assuming this is the attachment point for the wire rope when using the pulley hook? Massive nut and bolt that I'm already dreading trying to unbolt...WD-40 by the gallon? And the pin/roller? I spoke of with the grooves dug into it by the wire rope. This is how it was routed when I bought the thing but that doesn' mean it's right...
The first photo is too dark to see, but it looks like the general area where the rope could be anchored to in a multi fall configuration. The second photo is definitely a pin, not a roller and shouldn't have grooves in it. Hard to tell but it may be to attach an optional luffing jib or lattice extension perhaps? The last photo, although I've never seen anything like it before in a load-bearing situation, clearly shows a drum designed for the rope to run over.
More than likely the cable should run under that pin. It has a key and a handle so its designed to be easily removed. Probably for a jib or some other attachment as Cmark stated.
I think that pin should not be installed there when not needed, the wire rope comes over the sheave on top there, it's part of the end of the jib extension that appears to be stored on top of the boom. Notice behind that pin and a bit lower there are two rollers for allowing something to roll forward, probably something that is part of the jib. I don't know the procedure but it looks to me like the jib goes straight out until you can insert the pin into the ears where it currently resides and through a tube in the rear part of the jib, you can see it as a dark hole on the side. Gives you more reach but obviously at a much reduced load limit. Does your chart (in Japanese I'm sure, if it's even still there and readable) show a curve for the extra section?
Ahhhhhh, well that explains alot...but also happy to hear it's pin, not a roller, so shouldn't need replacing before installing a new wire rope. Definitely getting pulled out though, even if I routed the wire rope underneath, I'd worry about it rubbing from below. Once again, thanks! You guys have been extremely helpful and awesome!! The second to last pic shows the front of the boom extension. It's really weird...it simply sits in U-shaped holders on top of the main boom but even when not in use, the wire rope is routed through it. Now I'm curious to see if there is a way to pin it in place there rather than have it simply floating on the main boom. Guess it looks like this when installed using that pin: The charts indeed show a curve for it, though with any luck, I won't need it....the highest I need to lift a log is 32ft and the main boom is already about 39ft. The only thing I'm worried about at that point is the weight of that log....is there any way to add additional support or anything like outrigger add ons? The outrigger pads that came with this thing were steel framed wood but the wood had rotted away...so new pads are one idea.
Win some, lose some.... Can anyone tell me if it's necessary or how I must bleed the system after replacing a line on one of the outriggers and the main hose from the reservoir to the main pump? I called the manufacturer but with as old as this thing is, of course the staff had never even seen one this old. They basically said to refill the system and run it for 15 minutes with the PTO engaged and it would auto-bleed the system of any air introduced. (though they didn't seem to be too confident in their explanation) Background: Last time I was at my build site, one of the lines to my outrigger legs gave me a shower of hydraulic fluid....pinhole leak and you can imagine what happens when you put that under pressure. I was thinking to just add more fluid to the system and save the repair til next year when I found one of the rusted shut tool boxes on the crane actually contained a bunch or replacement lines. Score!! I replaced the line in a about 5 mins and topped off hydro fluid with the 2L I had just bought. I was about to research how to bleed the air out of the system but I figured could at least extend the boom out over my RV and my tool box for my annual giant snow tent. I tested the boom and was working...but just as I thought things were all good, when I moved the truck, a branch got kicked up by the rear wheels and managed to pull the main hose from the hydraulic fluid reservoir to the PTO pump.....I quickly noticed it so I jumped out and tried in vain to force it back into place for about 20 minutes....so last time it was a hydo shower, this time a bath. Try as I might, the ancient hose was hardened to the point it no longer flexed and I needed to saw it in half just to remove it. I was sure to cover the open fittings with plastic wrap and secure it with zip ties so no moisture or other junk gets in. Soooo now I get to go back in two weeks (hopefully not covered in snow just yet) and replace that hose/refill the system.
A good hydraulic bath is good for the skin. Except when it's cold. Its a horrible experience then.
It's cold....but burning those clothes kept me warm for awhile. Can anyone tell me if I actually need to bleed the system anywhere or if I'll be good to go with a new hose in place and 74L of fluid?
As a general rule, only hydraulic pumps and motors that have been emptied of fluid need to be bled before startup so that the internal rotating parts don't run dry. Once the system is circulating oil, extend and retract the cylinders slowly several times, stopping before they reach the end of their stroke. After that, you should be good to go.
Thanks for the reply! Do you think the pump is dry if the hose from the reservoir to the pump spilled out? If so, is there any special method to the bleeding?
After it's replaced, open the other side of the pump, if oil seeps out on each side then you should be fine. Is this a gear pump or what?
I'm not sure about the correct terminology but it's a PTO pump with a separate driveshaft coming from the Truck's transmission. It's fed by a reservoir on the side of the truck and the rubber (more like rock at it's age) hose between the two is what was bumped loose and is being replaced.
Let's call the hose from the tank to the pump the suction hose and the other hose from the pump the delivery hose. Assuming the oil level is higher than the pump, loosen the delivery hose at the pump end until oil flows. Tighten the hose and you're done.
Awesome! That sounds extremely simple! Let's hope nothing is rusted to hell on the delivery hose!