Running out 102' of boom at 0 degrees to grease pin?

[Natman]

My National 1300 has 2 pins in the boom I need to grease on a routine basis, the retract and extend cables run on the sheaves inside the boom that rotate on these pins. Thats about all I know, you guys that have torn your cranes apart and put them back together are laughing right now...but I have yet to have an intimate knowledge of the guts inside, and hope to keep it that way.

One of the pins is with the boom out just a couple feet from fully retracted, the other doesn't appear until 102+ feet of boom are run out. So, I sit there and extend the boom out until the LMI cuts me off, then defeat it and keep extending it, until the too small holes in the side of the boom line up perfectly and I can lube the pin with a needle adapeter for the grease gun. The manual says "lube until you can see it's full" or words to that effect, no way to do that as far as I can tell, I just guesstimate it. This one lube point is my only complaint about the 1300, otherwise I love the thing. I guess my question to you all is, since I can't figure out any other way to do it, should I be concerned about forcing the boom out that far, as it doesn't seem to like it much. No chatter or anything, but the slow boom extention and retract the National has (they are known for that I understand, just the way they set them up, nothing wrong) and then having to jump out and run up on a ladder and verify I have the holes lined up exactly is a real pain, as is lining up a helper.

I have considered it is a screw up, when they built it, all the book says is run it out until the holes line up, the first time I did it (with a helper) I couldn't believe they would make it so awkward and such a PITA. Everything else is well laid out and super easy to reach and grease. So, is this a common complaint, should I stop whining and not worry about the boom as I extend it that far at that unnatural angle, and just deal with it? It sure seems like they could have designed it different to avoid the issue, more holes in the boom, whatever, to make it more convinent.

 

[crane operator]

Is it only lined up at the holes in one particular spot at 102+ or could you just throw out all the boom and boom it down? Typically on greasing the boom on proportional cable extend booms, you have to override the lmi to get it boomed down all the way.

I'll usually just go ahead and extend all the boom with it boomed above 45 deg, then boom it down. Its not dragging so hard on the wear pads then, or straining the extend and retract cables, I don't like extending or retracting at 0 or negative boom angle.

 

[Tradesman]

On my manitex the grease fittings all show up at the same time through holes in the boom sections with the boom most of the way out. I grease mine at the same time as I grease the boom sliders, depending on the amount of use and the conditions ( dust, rain,....) I do both monthly. I asked the mechanic at my dealership how to extend, he said they stand the boom up and extend, then lower the boom, I still have to hold the by-pass but not as long. The last time I greased the boom I marked down the lenght to make it easier for the next time.
With my Elliott I had to fully retract the boom and grease through aligning holes, problem was the grease nipples where three sections deep and if I used a grease coupler any where near New it would stick on, I have had to use a slide hammer to get it off, and I was always worried about breaking one off and that would mean a boom removal. Given the choice I like the manitex system better.

 

[Natman]

I always, like just this morning,first tip my boom up to 60 degrees or so, and run it out to my eyeballed length of boom needed for that job. Today I was picking a deck roof assembly (1800 lbs) only 20' away, but I'd be setting it about 60' away, so I ran out 85'. I also considered where the trusses were, and 85' was more then enough. It almost always stays at whatever length until the job is done. The framing crews I work with often, know this, and are patient while I do this. The strange crews will want to jump the gun and have me boom down ASAP, get it hooked, with no thought of booming out under load not being preferable. I correct them on this, in a nice way if possible, "hang on a second" is all it usually takes, and then we go to work, no more boom extention needed. They "get it", if not they can call someone else next time!

Having said that, I for some reason was NOT doing that when greasing, but running it out, level, no excuse, just a brain freeze, the first couple times (didn't make a note of the indicated distance the first time), and got in the habit, stupid. I do know that once laid down I can't boom it up, retracting for a bit is mandatory before booming up LMI defeated or not. The National doesn't have zerts there, so the called out need for a (don't remeber it proper term) narrow diameter, 1/4", needle type injector with a zert end. There is no sense of how much, or not enough grease to use, you can't see squat. At least the boom slider pads are maintenance free, no lube of any kind required, says so right in the book.

Thanks for the feedback, been wanting to ask that for a while, how others do it.

 

[Knepptune]

That whole no lube on the wear pads bit is complete bs. For those pads to work without grease you have to keep the keep the slide tracks waxed.

Grove sells a boom grease that is fantastic. Think it's like $500-600 for a 5 gallon pail. It is good stuff tho. Mostly meant for larger pin latch booms.

Keep your wear pads shimmed up as they wear and you won't have issues scoping it in and out flat. I have seen wear pads sheared off due to slide pad wear combined with lack of grease.

As to your bearing needle, insane they're still doing that. Essentially your putting the needle in between the bearing needles to grease it. Just grease till grease comes out.

 

[Natman]

I don't have issues now with scoping it out or in, it operates smoothly, so I'm not greasing it for now. National makes a pretty big deal about it not needing it, and so far so good. Grease or lube attract dust is one reason, it's pretty nice having a "dry boom", and I too can't quite believe it but other then the slow speed (and that's just the way it is setup) it runs smooth.