Old School Portal Cranes: A Dying Breed
PHOTO CREDIT: Dennis O’Rourke – This 1949 Clyde Whirly crane was moved from a dock and fixed on a barge, with a complete new drive train, and is productive once again!
Federal standards are changing, but are the older cranes capable of measuring up? The author taps into his long years of experience to give us the story.
Featured Article by Victor Diez, Crane Supervisor
The current federal portal crane standard is ASME B30.4-2020, an early designation, and was originally USAS B30.2-1943 during WWII, a U.S. Navy-sponsored safety publication of long-standing. Due to their publishing sponsorship, the B30 Crane and Gear material handling publications have progressed and were updated over the last eighty years from USAS to ANSI and now ASME. However, in all these years, there has been little change to B30.4—because there has been little change to the equipment.
They get their name by being located at a seaport, the entry or portal into a country. Their designs have evolved from the eighteenth century to efficiently build ships and handle cargo at waterfronts. They all rotate and are mounted high on traveling gantry legs allowing vehicles to pass under the machine.
Read the full article for more about:
- Replace, Renew, Repurpose, or Scrap
- Modifications
- Move It
- In Conclusion
The article is available online in the Current Issue for a limited period of time.
