- For an upstart or rapidly growing business,
buying use industrial equipment can cut costs in some cases,
even speed up lead times.
In this video, we gonna weigh some pros and cons
of used and new overhead crane systems.
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Welcome to The Lifting & Rigging Channel.
My name is Devon and today we gonna discuss new
and used overhead crane systems.
For business owners who are handcuffed by a budgets
or maybe looking to cut costs entirely,
a used overhead creating system might seem
like a perfect solution for their material handling needs.
However, not all industrial equipment
can easily be retrofitted from one application to another
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Due to their installation, most customers are unaware
that businesses even sell used overhead crane systems.
Like anything, some options are better than others
and you should always do your research prior
to buying used cranes or hoist equipment.
Typically you can buy used cranes or hoists equipment
through Used Industrial Machine Brokers, Equipment
or having machine options, scrap or salvage yards
or third party sellers on sites like Craigslist or eBay.
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An equipment broker should allow you to come
on site to see and inspect the crane equipment
or hire a third party expert to inspect it on your behalf.
You also wanna find a reputable company that is honest
and ethical, and it has a solid online review process
and can provide you with references.
You wanna work with a company who regularly inspects
and refurbishes the equipment that they receive
prior to selling it.
A broker may not know the full history or a service life
of a crane, but they should be upfront about the condition
of the equipment before they let you buy it.
Here are a few questions to ask.
How old is the overhead crane system?
If it's nearing the end of its service life
it might not make financial sense to invest
in that piece of aging equipment.
How often was that crane system in use?
The broker may not have a lot of information,
but you should try to get some idea
of the duty cycle or service classification
by understanding how it was used,
and how often it was used.
Are they selling you all of their major components?
Are the bridge trolley, hoists and instructs included?
What kind of electrification system does it use?
Are runway and support being available
or will you need to have a runway system fabricated?
If the runway and other structured supports are available
what kind of condition is that stealing?
Is a runway a freestanding system
or designed to tie back into the building supports?
Does the system power on?
Are the electrical
and mechanical systems in good working condition?
Are there maintenance records available
from the previous owner?
Similar to buying a used vehicle
you want to understand that the crane system
and the components were regularly inspected in service
in accordance with Industry and Manufacturer Standards.
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Now that you know what to look for,
let's do a quick comparison of new versus used cranes.
If you buy a new crane from an over crane manufacturer
there will be a higher cost up front.
You're paying for additional services
like engineering, materials and components,
project management, fabrication,
freight delivery, installation, the initial startup
the low testing of the equipment and more.
However, most overhead crane manufacturers
offer turnkey systems and will manage the project
from first consultation through installation.
When you receive the quote from the manufacturer
all or most of the services list will be included
in that project proposal.
If not, you can ask the manufacturer to include them
in their proposal or provide you with an estimate.
For used overhead crane,
the initial investment will be significantly less.
However, you're really only saving
on the cost of the equipment and the components itself.
There are a number of other expenses
that you may have to factor in, coordinate and budget for.
Repairing or replacing components that are missing
or don't work properly.
Engineering study to determine proper duty cycle
and service class of the individual components
in the system as a whole,
a structural survey to determine if your building
and your foundation can support this crane system.
The pickup and delivery of the crane to your facility,
installation, inspection and we're testing
at the installed crane system prior to startup.
These additional costs can run into the thousands,
if not tens of thousands of dollars
that you may not have accounted for.
And there's really no guarantee
that this crane will be a reliable solution
for your material handling needs.
Also availability.
Depending on the design and complexity
of a new overhead crane.
It can take up to 12 months to design,
source the components,
fabricate and install your crane system.
When buying a new overhead crane system
you can expect to invest significant time
and energy into the following processes.
Initial consultation with crane manufacturers,
gathering and comparing Crane quotes,
reviewing and revising approval drawings,
preparing for delivery and installation,
startup configuration, and employee training.
Fortunately, when you partner with a reliable
overhead craning manufacturer,
they take care of a lot of the legwork for you
and will walk you through
the process step by step.
Engineering and duty cycle,
selecting the right crane service class
and duty cycle for an overhead crane is critical
for a customer who's trying to balance
the initial investment of a crane,
with the cost of future maintenance of that crane.
When you buy a used crane
it's likely that you're not going to have a true picture
of what that application was originally designed for
or any specifications on the components.
If you purchase a crane that's
under specified for your lifting application,
it'll result in a lower initial investment,
but will cost you more in maintenance
and downtime throughout the service life.
If you buy a system that was originally designed
for a heavier duty application
that might work out in your favor,
you just need a clear understanding
of how it was used, how often it was used
and what type of service life is remaining
on components like the brakes, motors and drives.
Another important consideration
is to understand the condition
of the equipment you'll receive,
when you buy a use overhead at crane,
if you can buy from a reputable seller
they should allow you or a third party to come onsite
and evaluate the condition of their equipment,
prior to buying, try and get an understanding
of the environment that the crane is coming from.
Was it sitting in a vacant building for a long time
and needs to be decommissioned?
Was it taken apart and stored outside where it was exposed
to environmental conditions,
or is it sitting somewhere
in a storage facility or warehouse.
A reputable seller or broker
may even be able to put power to it
so you can see how the electrical
and mechanical systems operate.
This will allow you to see how the motor
and operator controls work and give you an idea
of any additional work that may
need to be performed to make the system fully functional.
As I mentioned earlier, when you buy a use overhead crane
you're responsible for coordinating a lot of the logistics.
You'll most likely need to arrange
for a flatbed truck to pick up the crane system
from the seller and transport it to your facility.
You should also source a reputable crane dealer
local crane service provider, or find a rigging
or erection service company who can assemble
and install your crane into your building.
Once that system is up on the runway and fully supported
you'll want to have a full crane inspection performed
for OSHA, ASME and CMAA compliance.
Whether you buy a new crane or use overhead crane
you'll have to have the crane inspected and tested.
A third party testing company may be brought in
to perform the test and ensure that the crane
will operate safely and productively.
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Buying a new overhead crane system will provide you
with the highest level of post-sale service, support
and peace of mind.
When you partner with the reputable crane manufacturer
all of the individual assistants are specified
for the lifting application
and backed by five to 10 year warranty
should any non-wearable system components
to break down prematurely.
Used overhead crane equipment
may come with a limited 30 day warranty
or no warranty at all.
Most used equipment are sold
with an understanding that you're receiving the crane as is
and any repairs or modifications are the responsibility
of the buyer.
With a new crane, you'll have the full support
of the manufacturer and any of the vendors they use.
Post-sale and post-installation,
is usually a window that allows
for the manufacturer to offer onsite support
for troubleshooting, to help dial in the controls
and operation of your crane, and to train your employees
on how to use the new crane system or equipment effectively.
If you buy use crane equipment
you're on your own to try and track down
a service provider that can troubleshoot issues
and who may carry a repair parts
should anything break down or wear out prematurely.
Whether you're buying a new overhead crane system
or use overhead crane system, you'll only get as much
out of the system as you put into it.
If you do your research partner with a reputable supplier
and you understand how you'll be using it
you should get a reliable system
that will improve production efficiencies.
If you're buying on cost alone
and think you can make it work, you'll likely end up
with more headaches and potential unsafe
and problematic crane system issues.
I hope this video was able to give you
a better understanding of some of the pros
and cons with buying a new or use overhead crane system.
If you're considering making an upgrade to your facility,
feel free to reach out to one of our lifting specialists
for an overhead crane consultation.
They'd be happy to help you, to meet with you
and discuss the future growth of your business
and how an overhead crane system
might be exactly what you need.
If you liked this video, don't hesitate to like it
and share it with your peers and coworkers
or anybody that you think might benefit from this training.
Or it might be considering an overhead crane system.
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Thank you for watching.
We'll see you next time.
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