Mobile lifting axis: maintenance and inspection
The mobile lifting axis lifts vertically and therefore has a shorter lever than an articulated arm – stability is still the point where it differs from the stationary version. Added to that is what concerns every pneumatic system: what holds when the air goes.
- Rule
- DGUV rule 54 (winches, hoisting and traction equipment)
- Interval
- at least annually
- Makes
- any make
Lift vertically, stand level – both have to be right.
Which rule applies – and at what interval
Hoisting and traction equipment under DGUV rule 54, inspection by a competent person at least once a year. Two focal points: load holding of the pneumatic circuit on pressure loss, and stability in operation. For a mobile unit the risk assessment additionally has to cover which floors and which areas it may be used on.
- Rule
- DGUV rule 54 (winches, hoisting and traction equipment)
- Minimum interval
- at least annually
- Inspector
- competent person
What we look at on this unit
| Component | Finding | Discard limit |
|---|---|---|
| Cylinder & seals | Creep under load, internal leakage, scoring | any creep under a standing load |
| Load holding | Check valve, behaviour on pressure loss | load must stay put when switched off |
| Guide | Sliding play, contamination, binding | noticeable tilting play at the load attachment |
| Chassis & castors | Flats, bearing play, free running | castors with flats |
| Locks | Holding force with load, wear, operability | unit can be pushed when locked |
| Ballast & base plate | Completeness, fixing | missing or loose ballast |
| Hoses | Chafing, being run over, fittings | chafing down to the reinforcement |
The limits come from the applicable rules. Where manufacturer data exists for the specific unit, it prevails.
What actually gets done
Creep and load holding
Stop with rated load, measure the time, note the distance – then isolate the circuit to see whether the check valve holds. Two tests that belong together: the first shows the condition, the second the safety function.
Stability with load
Testing is done in the worst position: load on the hook, locks applied, on the floor the unit really works on. A slight gradient changes the picture noticeably, and in a factory building gradient is the rule, not the exception.
Ballast and locks
Ballast is counted and weighed, the lock tested with load. Both are quickly done and are among the most common findings on mobile equipment.
Keep the guide clean
Swarf and dust in the guide are more common on mobile units than on stationary ones – the unit stands here one day and there the next. Uneven travel almost always originates here rather than in the cylinder.
When the task has changed
Make it stationary
If the unit in fact always stands in the same place, a fixed column brings more capacity and more stroke – and takes stability out of daily operation.
Change the stroke
A different stroke length is the most common request, for instance with higher stacked pallets. On a mobile unit stability has to be recalculated with it: more stroke means a higher centre of gravity.
Change the load attachment
Vacuum pad, tongs, mandrel – bearing in mind that any added weight at the attachment changes stability.
What we offer for it
Lifting Equipment Maintenance
Planned maintenance of chain hoists, wire rope hoists, balancers and manipulators – any make.
Lifting Equipment Inspection
Recurring inspection under German BetrSichV and DGUV rules – chain hoists, rope hoists, balancers, manipulators and jib cranes.
Repair & Overhaul
Repair of lifting equipment and manipulators of any make – from a brake change to a full overhaul.
Upgrades & Modification
Adapting existing lifting equipment to a new task – gripper, control, reach, capacity.
Questions on maintenance and inspection
The axis creeps down slowly. What is the cause?
Usually a tired seal in the cylinder or a leaking valve. It is always a finding, never normal – and because load holding is a safety function it belongs to the recurring inspection.
How often must a mobile lifting axis be inspected?
At least annually by a competent person; the binding interval is set by you in the risk assessment. For a mobile unit that assessment also has to say which floors it may stand on.
Can we make the unit stationary later?
Yes, and it is often the better solution once the workstation is settled. The axis stays, the base plate gives way to a column or a rail connection – and capacity and stroke are usually greater afterwards.
Let’s talk about your equipment.
Tell us which units you have – including ones from different manufacturers. We will come back with a proposal for scope and interval.