With all the snow and low temperatures that we are seeing you may be asking yourself how this affects the actual EWP, but if your like most people you probably haven’t really thought about it.
Most EWP’s are manufactured in the US in much warmer weather, and most manufacturers have under the specifications the ambient operating temperatures.
What you can do:
Check with your EWP supplier that the EWP is has a cold weather package on it, this typically consists of
-Battery warmers
-Proper type of hydraulic oil
-Cold weather/artic seals.
-Block heaters
When storing EWP’s inside and moving them outside into the cold weather or vice versa , this can cause seals and hydraulic oils to expand and contract resulting in hydraulic leaks, blown hoses, and malfunctions of Safety devices. Know what is required of your EWP inspection and be sure that you are doing these inspections. Failure of safety devices and or failures of the hydraulic systems can result in very serious injury or death.
Watch for booms or platforms that have a slow creep in them this may indicate that there is a potential problem within the hydraulic system. If this happens tag the unit and have a qualified and trained technician inspect the hydraulic system as well as the structural integrity.
Cold weather can and will affect the structural integrity know what your machine ratings are. This may require calling the manufacturer directly or your equipment supplier to get this information.
Some manufacturers require that at minus 40 you deduct 2% basket capacity for every degree.
Example -40 reduce 2% basket capacity
-41 reduce 4% basket capacity
-42 reduce basket capacity by 6% etc.
Structurally the steel will become brittle in cold weather. Be safe know what is required for cold weather operation and comply to the manufacturers requirements
Also don’t forget with snow on the ground you may not be able to see what the ground conditions are like, the snow may be covering potholes, debris etc. Have the area that you are working in cleared of snow. Always travel with the boom in the stowed position, this will reduce the boom deflection should you run into a pothole. If the boom is up in the air this could cause the unit to tip over or cause you and others to be ejected from the basket. On scissorlifts unsatisfactory ground conditions such as heavy snow and icy conditions can/or may cause tip overs.