05.08.2008

Manitowoc warns on 16000

Manitowoc has issued an emergency service bulletin asking owners of 18 of its model 16000 crawler cranes to stop using certain boom sections until they have been checked.

The recall affects No 58 boom sections, 59A mast sections and 59 luffing jib sections.

The recall is based on concerns that thinner wall tubes may have been used to make some chords within the sections than the design calls for. The bulletin asks all owners to stop using any cranes that are rigged with these sections until the wall thicknesses have been checked and found to conform.

The recall only affects 18 cranes in total ranging from serial number 16001052 through to 16001064 inclusive. Also Max-Er 16003702 and luffing jib attachment 16005031 and 5033.

Manitowoc says that there have been no incidents caused by this possible error and that the sections can be checked relatively quickly.

The bulletin is service bulletin W08-010


Vertikal Comment

We are fairly sure that all 18 cranes have already been located and possibly even checked. We have had a copy of this bulletin since it was issued last week and assumed that given the size of the cranes and the small number concerned that all of them would have been reached the same day that the bulletin was issued.

However it seems that news of the bulletin has, for some reason, reached the mainstream business media causing a number of emails to our offices yesterday and this morning asking about it.

So in order to put the record straight and just in case Manitowoc has not yet manged to reach all cranes concerned, we felt that it was our duty to publish this information.