Our 20-ton crane gave out mid-pour last Thursday night

The main hoist motor on our old Konecranes unit just seized up, right as we were moving a crucible of 1600-degree steel. We had to scramble to get the backup chain block rigged before the metal started to skin over. Anyone in the Midwest know a good mobile repair crew that won't take three weeks to show up?

4 comments

4 Comments

xena_bailey183mo ago

Damn, that's a nightmare. Try calling Heavy Metal Rigging out of Gary.

phoenix_bailey3mo ago

Yeah, Heavy Metal is solid for a quick patch job. Had a similar bearing scream on an old P&H last year. Jadej50 is right about that era, it's a ticking clock. We ended up going with that Toledo shop they mentioned for a full rebuild. Got the motor back in three days, no band-aid fixes. Been running smooth since.

jadej503mo ago

The trade mag last month said Konecranes motors from that era have a known bearing issue. They quoted a shop in Toledo that does 48-hour emergency rebuilds. Might be worth a call if you're stuck.

adams.uma1mo ago

Funny you mention that Toledo shop. My uncle swears by a guy in Cleveland who does the same kind of work, but he charges extra if you want him to actually answer the phone before noon. Last time I called him about a groaning hoist motor, he told me to just spray it with WD-40 and call him back if it caught fire. I ended up driving the whole thing down to Toledo myself. That shop did a solid job, but the guy at the counter tried to sell me a coffee mug with their logo on it while I was filling out the paperwork. Really made the whole thing feel like a weird flea market experience.