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S I R R

Structural Inspection, Reporting, And Repair

For Powered Industrial Trucks

This document contains information of vital importance concerningthe inspection, reporting, and repair of fatigue cracks. If fatiguecracks are not corrected they can lead to a catastrophic failurecausing serious injury to personnel and / or property.

It is important that the machine be inspected regularly. Any existingfatigue cracks should be reported to the Taylor Machine Works, Inc.engineering department immediately. Repairs must be made inaccordance with AWS methodologies.

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WARNING:

Dangerous Action. Operating a poweredindustrial truck without inspecting, identify-ing, and repairing fatigue cracks in the mast,carriage, attachment, steer axle, and frameweldments.

What Can Happen. If the fatigue crack isallowed to grow, catastrophic failure couldoccur in the mast or other welded compo-nents causing serious injury to personneland / or property.

How To Avoid The Danger. Follow theOSHA rules, 29 CFR, 1910.178 (q)(1), (5), &(7) which require inspecting industrial trucksdaily before being placed in service, remov-ing trucks from service if cracks are found,and making repairs only as authorized bythe manufacturer. If trucks are used on around-the-clock basis, they shall beexamined after each shift. OSHA 29 CFR1910.178 (p)(1) requires that trucks in needof repair be taken out of service.

Structural Inspection and Reporting Procedure

General instructions are provided within this pro-cedure to aid maintenance personnel in under-standing proper inspection methods. Although allwelds should be inspected regularly, Illustrationsand general instructions are included to aid inidentifying joints which may need special atten-tion.

Inspection for Fatigue Cracks

Welded steel structures always contain undetect-able cracks, especially at welded joints. Whenthese joints are subject to fluctuating stresses ofsufficient magnitude, these cracks will grow. Thisis known as fatigue crack growth. No matter howlow the stress levels are kept some fatigue crackgrowth will occur in all welded structures.

Eventually, these fatigue cracks will become largeenough to be detectable by nondestructive testingmethods, i.e. VT, MT, DPT, or UT.

WARNING: Fatigue cracks which areallowed to grow can lead to catastrophic fail-ure and possible death or serious injury.Periodic inspection is required to detectfatigue cracks that have grown to a significant

size in order to avoid serious failure of thestructural weldment. When a crack is found,the truck must be immediately taken out ofservice and repaired.

Restoring the weld to its original condition by com-plete penetration welding is usually acceptable.Sometimes this is not practical and a change ingeometry by means of cutting, grinding or addingadditional material is more economical. However,the user must be cautioned that OSHA 29 CFR1910.178 (a)(4) requires manufacturer’s priorwritten approval for modifications and additionswhich affect capacity and safe operation.

Cracking may occur due to overloading, roughoperation, poor yard conditions, severe dutycycles, failing to keep lift chains properly adjusted,improper shimming of mast rails, carrying theloads too high or not properly centered, usingattachments that clamp the load to the forks, etc.If such cracking is found, a review of the operationshould be made to see if any of the above listedproblems are occurring, and, if so, a change in theoperation should be made to avoid future prob-lems. Some cracking may be due to geometry,modifications or due to the attachments welded tothe structure. If this is the case, the geometrymay need to be changed, the modification cor-rected, or the attachment changed or relocated tocorrect the cracking problem. OSHA requires thatyou have prior written approval of the manufac-turer for such changes.

Test Procedures

Type of Test SymbolVisual VTMagnetic Particle MTDye-Penetrant DPTUltrasonic UT

Basic Testing Symbols

These symbols are in accordance with AWSA2.4-76, “Symbols for Non-Destructive Testing.”

1. Visual (VT). Dirt and grease should beremoved from the surface by wiping with a rag.One should look for cracked paint and rustshowing through the paint. Also, look formovement at bolted joints, irregular lines inwelds or dents, or deformations in the materi-al. Proper lighting is required in order to

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obtain satisfactory results.

2. Magnetic Particle (MT). The test surfacemust be free of loose rust, scale, moisture,and painted surfaces must be cleaned at allpoints of electrode contact. Grinding, brush-ing, or blasting do not affect results of thismethod of testing in most instances.

A magnetic field can be applied to the testmaterial with:a. Permanent magnet.b. Yoke which is an electromagnet type of

device.c. Passing high amperage current through

the part.3. Dye-Penetrant (DPT). The test surface must

be thoroughly cleaned and dried. This can bedone with chemical solvents, vapor degreas-ing, or by mechanical methods. However,cleaning mechanically, such as grinding, blast-ing, or wire-brushing, might prove detrimentalto the test because surface discontinuities canbe masked by cold working of the surface.Therefore, mechanical cleaning methods mustbe kept to a minimum.

One of the following type penetrants should beused in conjunction with the proper procedureto get satisfactory results:a. Water soluble penetrantb. Post emulsifiable penetrantc. Solvent removable penetrantFollow the directions supplied with the dye-penetrant for best results.

4. Ultrasonic (UT). Testing should be done inaccordance with AWS D1.1 approvedmethods.

Frequency of Inspection. There are three (3)levels of inspection:

1. Daily. Mandatory daily examination of thetruck as required by OSHA. (See Operator’sGuide and Safety Check for details.) Thisexamination is usually performed by the oper-ator (or other designated person).

2. Three-month inspection. A thorough visualinspection (VT) following the guidelines shownin this procedure should be made every threemonths (refer to sketches for details). Theseinspections should be performed by qualifiedmaintenance personnel.

3. 6,000 Hour Inspection. Full-scale inspection(FS) including all examinations outlined in thisprocedure (VT, MT, and DPT) should be madeafter the first year of operation and then everytwo years or 6,000 hours, whichever is sooner,thereafter. These inspections should be per-formed by qualified maintenance personnel.

NOTE: Duty cycles vary from extremely severe(capacity loads, high frequency of loading, roughyards, etc.) to very light (partial capacities, fewload cycles, good yard conditions, etc.). Dutycycle directly affects product life and maintenancerequirements. Depending on the quality and thor-oughness of the daily inspections and the serviceexperience of the vehicle, the three-month visualinspection interval and the full-scale inspectioninterval may be adjusted (increased or decreased)to levels appropriate for an individual vehicle dutycycle.

WARNING: Death or serious injury couldresult from structural failure. Inspect structurefor cracks.

Reporting Procedure. Taylor Machine Works,Inc. should receive reports of the results of anyinspections.

Photocopy a sketch from your maintenance manu-al, make your own sketch, or photograph, andshow indication of crack if any are evident, statingthe following:

1. Location (right, left, inner, outer, machine sideetc.);

2. Size of crack;

3. Extent of crack;a. In toe of weld;b. Propagating into the base metal;c. Other description, etc.

4. Method of testing to detect cracks.

If no cracks are found by yearly inspections,please confirm by a fax or a short letter.

Repair Procedure

1. Contact Taylor Machine Works, Inc.

2. If rewelding is suggested, use AWS approvedwelding procedures.

3. If design modification is indicated, contact

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Taylor Machine Works, Inc. OSHA 29 CFR1910.178 (q)(5) requires that replacementparts be equivalent as to safety with thoseused in the original design. Different steelgrades are used for different components.Different steel grades require different weldingprocedures, pre-heatings, rods, etc.

Inspection Locations

WARNING: The areas being inspectedmust be properly cleaned prior to performingthe inspection. If not properly cleaned poten-tially dangerous cracks may not be detected.

WARNING: Never go under a raisedmast, carriage or forks unless proper blockinghas been securely placed to prevent the mast,carriage or forks from falling in event of hy-draulic failure or drift. See Safety Check.

The following illustrations are a representative setfor the general weld joints used on Taylor MachineWorks trucks. These illustrations should be usedas a reference for specific details, but do not nec-essarily represent exact details used in theconstruction of your truck. The weld joints specifi-cally identified in the following illustrations are rep-resentative of all similar weld joints in the structureand indicate that all such weld joints must beinspected. Also, all welds on opposing sides ofthe indicated weld joint must be inspected. Addi-tionally, there may be multiple occurrences of aspecific weld joint. All occurrences of the weldjoint specified must be inspected.

Some welds may be hidden from plain view duringnormal operation and will have to be positioned toensure a clear view for inspection.

In addition to the OSHA required daily inspec-tions, the inspection methods for both the three-month inspection (VT), and 6,000 hour inspection(FS) should be performed. Representative jointswhich contain welds that need to be inspected arelisted below. Should further information be need-ed on weld inspection, including detailed weldsand weld joints, contact Taylor Sudden Service,Inc.

Chassis - Masted TrucksS Drive axle mounting structureS Mast hanger structureS Frame rails and all attachments to frame rails

S Cab support structureS A--frame structure (members which attach tiltcylinders to chassis on overhead--tilt equippedtrucks)

S Tilt cylinder mount structureS Frame rail connections at counterweightS Engine, transmission, radiator mount structuresS Steer axle mounting structure

Additional Joints for Chassis on TelescopingBoom TrucksS Entire boom tower structureS Boom pivot structureS Hoist cylinder anchor structure

Inner MastS All connections from crossmembers to mastrails

S Chain roller mounting structuresS Hoist cylinder anchor structureS Mast roller stub shafts

Outer MastS All connections from crossmembers to mastrails

S Hoist cylinder anchor structureS Tilt cylinder anchor structureS Chain anchor mount structureS Mast hanger structure

CarriageS Carriage roller stub shaftsS Crossmember connections to carriage platesS Crossmember connections to end platesS Fork pin mounting platesS Braces and gussetsS Chain anchor mounting structure

Top-Pick Container Handling AttachmentsS Expansion beam structureS Crossmember connections to expansion beamsS Structures used to connect attachment tocarriage

S Braces and gussetsS Expansion cylinder mounting structure

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S Connection between expansion beams andtwistlock end beams

S Twistlock end beamsS Twistlock box structure

Side-Pick Container Handling AttachmentsS Beam structureS Connection between beamsS Structures used to connect attachment tocarriage

S Braces and gussetsS Expansion cylinder mounting structureS End post structureS Twistlock box structure

Telescoping BoomsS Boom box structuresS Braces and gussetsS Boom pivot structureS Hoist cylinder anchor structureS Attachment mount structureS Extension cylinder mount structure

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Tilt CylinderAnchor Structure

Frame Rails / FrameRail Connections

Engine /Transmission /Radiator Mounts

Mast HangerStructure

Drive AxleMount Structure

Cab Mount Structures -A-Frame Connection

Steer Axle MountStructure

Illustration 1. Typical Chassis Inspection Locations

CrossmemberConnections Crossmember

Connections

Mast HangerStructureMast RailsTilt Cylinder Anchor

Structure

Illustration 2. Typical Outer Mast Inspection Locations

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Lift Cylinder AnchorStructure

CrossmemberConnections

Stub ShaftsMast Rails

Chain Roller MountStructure

Illustration 3. Typical Inner Mast Inspection Locations

CrossmemberConnections

CrossmemberConnections

CrossmemberConnections

Stub Shafts

CrossmemberConnections

Gussets /Braces

Illustration 4. Typical Carriage Inspection Locations

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Braces andGussets

Boom BoxStructure

Hoist CylinderAnchor Structure

Boom PivotStructure

Braces andGussets

ExtensionCylinder Mount

Structure

Illustration 5. Typical Outer Boom Inspection Locations

AttachmentMount Structure

AttachmentMount Structure

Boom BoxStructure

Illustration 6. Typical Inner Boom Inspection Locations

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CrossmemberConnections

CrossmemberConnections

BeamStructure

Braces andGussets

Braces andGussets

Illustration 7. Typical Center Frame Inspection Locations

CrossmemberConnections

BeamStructure

TwistlockBox Structure

Expansion BeamTo TwistlockEnd Beam

ExpansionCylinder Mount

Structure

Illustration 8. Typical Narrow Frame Inspection Locations

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BeamStructure

Hanger ChainConnection andCrossmember

Wear Pad SupportBraces and Stiffeners

ExpansionCyinderAnchor

Side ShiftCylinderAnchor

Illustration 9. Typical Center Frame Inspection Locations

Expansion BeamConnection ToEnd Beam

Transition Bracesand Gussets

Twistlock BoxStructure

BeamStructure

Wear PadSupport Bracesand Stiffeners

Beam Spacer

Illustration 10. Typical Expansion Frame Inspection Locations

Hoist Circuit

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