Testing of your crane and hoist yearly or at periodic intervals is mandatory after you install an industrial crane and hoist. A load test is needed to ensure that the crane system can handle the maximum weight capacity in operation. All companies must comply with industrial standards and government regulations such as OSHA, ASME/ANSI safety regulations or Ministry of Labor whenever a crane is sold, installed, reinstalled, altered, repaired or modified. Usually a third party is hired to conduct a Load Strain Test before the crane is certified or recertified and placed back into service. Most load test are done at 125% of the rated capacity to ensure that your crane and hoist is more than sufficient for your needs.Prior to the load test, an inspection is performed to make certain that the equipment is safe to handle the load. After the inspection and load testing have been successfully completed, a certificate is issued to retain with maintenance records. Systems that do not pass the inspection or load test will be required to correct the deficiency (s) before the equipment is placed in service to insure the safety of plant employees and equipment.
Test weights are generally purchased or rented to perform these tests. Knowing what type of test weight to perform this task can be challenging for the inexperience operator. Mars Metal offers two types of Test Weights – (A) All steel test weight or (B) steel test weight lead filled. The two main differences between these two options are cost and the amount of room taken up by these test weights. All steel test weights are much more affordable than a steel test weights lead filled, however when headroom or available space where testing is performed is tight and at a premium then the lead filled weights are the best choice. This reduced size makes it the obvious choice with an approximate a 40% savings in overall size over all steel.
Both types of weights can be made as a single stand-alone weight or as a stacking set of weights used to test many different weight scenarios. Various individual weights can be designed to achieve the desired weight build requirements by stacking or nesting various weight combinations that will allow you to test all lifting devices in a given facility. Stacking arrangements can be from a simple cradle to support all the weights to freestanding stacking or weights dropped over a post design that allow you to pick up multiple weights stacking on the post.
To avoid manual handling operations, we supply weights that offer a myriad of lifting options, including 360º accesses by fork lifts, cranes, and hoists. All test weights can be made to suit the handling of them by crane hook, forklift or a combination of both crane hook and forklift.
