I have some Grove manuals for my TMS 300's and 250's, from the late 70's. They are some of the best manuals ever made (in my opinion).
There is a parts manual, every part on the crane, with part numbers and diagrams, if a repair kit is available for a certain item, it has its own listing (ex. hydraulic cylinder seal kit).
The service manual is even better. They had a complete engine book, transmission book (both with pictures of complete tear down and reassembly) . A full step by step troubleshooting section. The crane portion shows complete tear down of individual components, with pictures of disassembly and reassembly. For example- the winches show a step by step disassembly and reassembly, showing how the parts work and fit, and how to tear it down, and reassemble. The service books would cost quite a bit to make today, but to me they are worth it. I always say you could air drop a old grove, in a third world country, and with a set of books, and a minimal set of tools, fix anything wrong with it. Take your diagnostic machine/ laptop, and throw them out the window.
It was easier for grove also to justify the cost of making the books the first time, because they made the same models for so long. The first tms300's came out in 1972, I think the last ones were early 90's. They didn't have a bunch of engineers, trying to justify their existence on the payroll, by redesigning some portion of the crane every year. The crane was a good model, well designed from the start, and they saw no reason to change for change's sake.
Today's Grove GMK series (all terrain cranes) don't even come with a service manual! Grove can't justify the cost, they say, for so many different models, and I can see it because they are constantly redesigning things. Full power booms, locking pin booms. Cable extend booms. Some have 3 telescope cylinders, some two- some only one. Some single engine, some dual engine. Fixed jib, luffing jib, hydraulic power luffing swing away. Different driveline and axle, and suspension arrangements. All you get with a multi million dollar crane is a parts disc, and you can send your mechanic to their service school. Which only covers the newest models.
What if your mechanic leaves? I know- call the dealer. Except my nearest dealer is 4 hours away. That's great when you've got a load in the air and the crane quits working right, or your dead on the side of the road (with a 100.000lb machine)- I can call in and wait two days for the dealer to show up with his special computer.
You can take your computer program, and computer parts systems and shove them. If my manual from 1977 was on a computer from then, how would I read it today? Try looking up parts on a microfiche machine, I've done it, and it isn't any fun. What are the odds that the computer program from today, will be able to be read in 20 years, even 10? The operating systems become obsolete, then you can't read the manual.
"contact the manufacturer"--- Who knows which manufacturer is going to be around in 5- 10 or 15 years. I've got machines from obsolete company's, if I've got a book manual, I can still see how something comes apart.
I know everyone today wants all their info on their phone or laptop, I have all my equipment listed on my phone with serial #'s for convienence, but I can still read my manual from 1977, even if it was in a different language, I could still look at the pictures.
I like my pictures on my phone and computer, but unless someone makes a hard copy of them, I can't see my kids in 30 years looking at pictures of what dad did, way back when, like I can look at a picture of my grandfathers farm.
So- to end my rant- I prefer a hard copy, paper manual, 3 ring binder, with no computer interface connection, or dealer only servicable/identifiable items. Don't make me have your "special" computer program, or ones that only the dealer can access. You want to make a repair program, don't let a engineer write it , have a mechanic write it. You want to see a real manual- go on ebay- find a tms 300 service/repair manual and parts manual, and drop $100 and buy one. Look through it. Don't reinvent the wheel.
