WINTERIZE To MAXIMIZE

WINTERIZE
to
MAXIMIZE
Your Investment
What ALL does to
prepare North America’s
largest privately owned
fleet for winter
F
all is beautiful. Leaves change colors, and
summer heat changes to crisp, cool air.
Nobody wants to think about the coming
snow, ice and freezing winds that can
come on fast. But denial and avoidance leave you
unprepared for what’s sure to come. At the ALL
Family of Companies, they know that preparation
is the key to extending the life of their investment
in the most modern fleet in the industry. While the
company performs scheduled maintenance all year,
proper planning ahead for winter, like a squirrel
gathering nuts, can be the difference between feast
and famine.
ALL’s fleet is utilized year-round in all kinds of
weather. Construction and repair work are planned
regardless of wind, rain or snow. Emergencies can’t
wait, and shutdowns must be minimized. At 37
branches across North America, ALL’s entire fleet
must stand ready to assist customers. But winter
brings its own special set of challenges.
Slow and Steady: Preparation and Operation
“You’ve got to work around Mother Nature,” said
Jason Hanna, general manager of ALL’s Canadian
branches. “We know it’s coming, we know what
happens. Being prepared cuts down on the amount of
breakdowns and delays.”
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allcrane.com | 800-232-4100 | Fall 2015 |
“Winter can be a
potentially dangerous
time, so it’s even
more important to
follow every proper
procedure in the cold.”
Proactively protecting the engines this way is of
premium importance, given their cost. “We use
big-dollar engines in these machines — Mercedes,
Cummins — so we hold ourselves to a very high
standard,” said Procurement Director Larry Jeppe. “We
hold our fuel suppliers to that same high standard.”
One of the key factors to success on any job, but
particularly in the winter, is knowing the limitations
of the equipment and following each manufacturer’s
operating instructions. Manufacturers may recommend
de-rating cranes by certain percentages or weights
(continued on page 12)
The key to working in wintertime is to slow down to
enable additional attention to detail and to exercise
more care. Precautions must be taken with people,
equipment and loads to ensure safe operations in wind,
rain, snow and ice. “You have to know the limits of
your machines,” said Hanna. “We address weather
challenges as they come up, but also let customers know
before we come onto the site of potential issues that
could cause delays.”
ALL’s equipment is made ready to serve in any
environment or weather. Lubricants and greases are
selected that work in every climate. However, in fall,
extra steps are taken across the entire fleet to prepare it
for winter, such as topping off coolant and inspecting
and replacing batteries as needed. Fuel can be a
challenge for cold-weather work. When temperatures
drop below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, diesel fuel can gel or
wax, affecting fuel lines and filters. If there is moisture
in the lines, water particles can freeze. Crawler Crane
Manager Rick Mikut explained ALL’s proactive
approach to fuel problem prevention. “We start a winter
fuel treatment program for the entire fleet beginning
in September,” he said. “You need time to get the fuel
into the equipment before winter actually starts, since
machines can be sent from any location.”
winter crane preparation
[ Top coolant and inspect and replace battery
[ Start winter fuel treatment program
[ De-rate cranes by certain percentages or weights
according to outside temperature
[ Opt for the winterization package when
purchasing new equipment
[ Refresh your team on winter protocol
and make sure they are outfitted with the
appropriate winter gear
[ Start the machines and let them run and warm up
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(continued from page 11)
according to outside temperature. For example, a
100-ton capacity crane may become a 75-ton crane
in extreme cold. There might be pre-operating
instructions to follow as well, such as running the
engine for a set time before engaging the pumps and
then letting the pumps run a while before beginning
to operate the crane. This extra time helps ensure
the machine is prepped, warmed up, has fluids
flowing easily, and is as ready to operate in extreme
temperatures as it can be.
“One of the things we do in the winter,” said Hanna,
“is when dispatch gives us a list of equipment that’s
leaving, we bring people in early to start the machines
and let them run and warm up prior to the operator’s
arrival, just like warming up a car.”
The combined years of knowledge and experience
that ALL brings to every job means they know to
implement winter weather operating suggestions when
the temperature plummets. That’s experience and
knowledge you can’t put a price on.
Optimizing Your Investment
Purchasing new equipment with more creature
comforts for wintertime operations is definitely
appreciated by those out working in the elements.
In the old days, a crane cab might have had a tiny
heater or a small fan, but not much else. Now, new
equipment can include such features as heated seats
or advanced heating and defrosting systems for the
cab. No matter where in the country a new machine
may be slated to go, ALL will add winter weather
options to a purchase. Some manufacturers’ cold
weather packages offer heaters for hydraulic tanks
and batteries. Two hundred gallons of oil can take a
long time to get warm enough for safe operations, so
options like tank heaters and fuel line heaters can be
a real boon to winter work. Because ALL’s cranes
may be sent to any geographic location, they must be
prepared to work everywhere.
“Anything that’s flat
with ice on it could
cause sliding. So we
have to de-ice the
trailers, just like you
would de-ice a plane
in the winter before it
can take off.”
Jeppe emphasized that winter can be a potentially
dangerous time, so proper procedures remain critical.
Cranes can now be plugged into an electrical outlet to
help keep components warm while they sit overnight.
Even the company’s trailers receive special treatment
in the winter, as they’re equipped with greencompliant pony motor engines to run all night long
via an auxiliary power unit (APU).
“We also go through a lot of ice melter for our
trailers,” said Jeppe. “Anything that’s flat with
ice on it could cause sliding, so we have to deice the trailers, just like you would de-ice a plane
in the winter before it can take off. We undergo
considerable training about proper loading, tying off
and other procedures to follow in bad weather.”
The cost of an APU can be prohibitive for some
small companies, but the value of an APU cannot
be understated. Last year, ALL invested in the
purchase of 10 new Manitowoc MLC300 crawler
cranes, each with an optional APU. Running the
APU means burning approximately one gallon of
fuel an hour instead of eight, and it helps prevent
the oil from thinning out. Not only do you burn less
fuel, the crane is not kept running for as many hours.
The APU also acts as a tank heater, ideal for colderclimate work. “If you look at the cost savings of fuel
along with wear and tear on your machine, in the
long run, an APU is a home run,” said Mikut.
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allcrane.com | 800-232-4100 | Fall 2015 |
Experience Matters
Of course, equipment isn’t the only thing on a job
site that needs to undergo additional preparation for
winter work.
“It might seem obvious, but you need an experienced
team on a winter job to do something as basic, but
as essential, as always ensuring that the load you’re
going to lift isn’t frozen to the ground,” said Jeppe.
“It’s up to the riggers and other team members to
communicate about the conditions. You have to be
careful. A frozen load could flip a crane over.” Or,
as Hanna pointed out, crane mats could be frozen
to the ground if the mud was moist when they were
set the day before. An experienced team working
together to battle the special challenges of winter is
a valuable resource that can positively affect uptime
and profitability. “Every year I learn new things about
how to be even better prepared,” said Hanna.
Worker hazards are also considered, with additional
fall protection equipment and cold weather personal
protective equipment (PPE). From shoe spikes to
railing packages, ALL takes extra precautions when
it comes to the safety of its workers in the cold.
In Canada, where winters are colder than almost
anywhere else ALL operates, there is always
special cold-weather gear on hand, including boots,
jackets, pants and coveralls rated to withstand
minus-40-degree temperatures.
Lost production time due to weather is almost
unavoidable in this business. But downtime due to a
machine that wasn’t prepared for changing seasons is
costly — and because it could have been prevented,
unacceptable. By taking steps to ensure your team and
your equipment are prepared for even the roughest
weather, your investment in that equipment continues
to pay off, season after season.
NEED A LIFT? ALL’S THERE.
The crane rental business is booming.
Keeping machines available in readyto-work condition and sent wherever
and whenever they are needed requires
precise planning, coordination, and the
kind of knowledge that only comes with
experience. Given the size of the fleet —
the largest privately held fleet in North
America — ALL branches must work
together to coordinate the supply chain up
and down the Eastern half of the continent.
Working in concert, ALL’s sales, service,
dispatch and logistics people ensure that
equipment is available and ready to go, all
year round.
The company has more than 3,500
pieces of equipment, migrated along a
carefully managed corridor. With demand
for numbers and types of machines in
constant flux, equipment at any given
branch is an ever-changing mix. Managing
the fleet for maximum uptime means not
only keeping up with regular service and
maintenance, but also being prepared for
scheduled moves of the equipment. With
cranes and other lift equipment steadily in
demand, keeping machines in top operating
condition is of premium importance.
Migrating the
ALL Fleet
That’s important, too, because emergencies
happen — and ALL regularly gets called to
jobs that need immediate attention. From
bridge repair to installation of new tanks
at a plant during a costly shutdown, ALL
ensures their equipment is ready to answer
the call.
So how does ALL adapt to different
construction schedules and
requirements in the winter months?
ALL’s fleet management expertise comes
through experience, and that includes
knowing how the nature of lifting work
changes with the seasons. Summer is
tourist season south of the Mason-Dixon
line, making winter busy for construction.
In the winter months, ALL diverts additional
equipment to the South in response.
The probability for greatly fluctuating
temperatures increases in the Midwest and
North during early spring. Thus, “frost laws”
or “freeze-thaw” laws are in place in certain
states and Canadian provinces, significantly
reducing allowable weights and speeds on
roads. Thawing makes pavement softer, so
slower speeds and lighter loads are required
when transporting equipment during freezethaw season. A heavy piece of equipment
might be prevented from traveling at all
during a ban.
ALL’s experienced lift planners try to predict
and prevent such delays. For example, they
might suggest that a crane be sent to a site in
advance so it is already on site and ready to
work, helping to avoid possible downtime.
Taking action before there is an issue
benefits customers in time and cost savings.
Being proactive: that’s another “secret”
to keeping the fleet ready for migration.
Especially in winter.
Customers may not know all the steps
leading to a well-executed job, but they
do know this simple fact: When they need
equipment, ALL delivers.
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