What Happens When Your Crane Gets Stuck During an Industrial Lift in Bihar
What Happens When Your Crane Gets Stuck During an Industrial Lift in Bihar
Blog Article
Heavy lifting is a common and essential task in industrial construction. Cranes are essential to cement plant operations, whether they are setting up fabricated steel beams, installing a crusher unit, or aligning machinery frames. However, what happens if your crane—the very device you rely on—becomes stuck? Although it may seem like an uncommon occurrence, every seasoned construction company in Bihar has encountered it at least once due to the region's uneven and frequently unpredictable terrain.
This is the story of one such incident and what it taught the entire team involved in a crusher plant project in the outskirts of Gaya.
The Setting: A Remote Crusher Installation Site
About 40 kilometers from the main highway, in the middle of a village encircled by hills and narrow access roads, a mid-sized stone crushing plant was being constructed. Sections of loose gravel and clay soil that had been partially impacted by monsoon rains weeks earlier were mixed in with the rocky terrain. Even though the weather had subsided, the soil was still misleading—firm above, but shaky a foot below.
A primary jaw crusher frame, weighing close to 12 tons, needed to be lifted and installed. A 50-ton hydraulic crane had been imported from Patna for this purpose. Over the course of two days, it had traveled via rural roads and makeshift tracks constructed by the local site team.
The Problem Begins: An Unexpected Sink
Everything was in order on the morning of the lift. The crane was set up, the stabilizers were extended, and the rigging was examined. However, the crane's right rear side started to sink five minutes after the load was raised just above the ground. It was only a slight tilt at first. The entire crane lost its balance as one of the outriggers sank more than six inches into the clay-laced ground in a matter of seconds.
The elevator was stopped right away. The crane was now leaning dangerously, one wheel nearly buried, but the load had been safely brought back down. The crew faced a significant delay—and a significant challenge—because they lacked firm soil to reposition the stabilizers and no immediate towing equipment.
First Response: Securing the Site and Machinery
Protecting the site and making sure no more damage was done came first. Onto improvised wooden blocks, the load—a bulky jaw crusher frame—was dropped. No one was permitted to approach the tilted crane until its position could be stabilized, and safety lines were examined. This is not merely protocol; it is essential when you are in an area where assistance is hours away.
A few team members began evaluating the state of the ground by excavating around the sunken wheel to determine the extent of the soft patch. It was discovered to be an area of old clay that had not been adequately compacted during site preparation. The soil beneath had been further weakened by monsoon water.
The Solution: Thinking Fast With Limited Resources
Calling a tow truck or setting up another crane could be the answer to this problem in urban areas. However, such luxury does not exist in rural Bihar, particularly at an interior location like this one. The group had to rely on collaboration, fast thinking, and local solutions.
The first step was to temporarily lighten the crane's weight. To reduce pressure on the sunken side, some hydraulic oil and counterweights were taken out. The crane's stabilizers were then supported by a makeshift platform made of heavy timber, steel scrap plates, and boulders that were sourced locally. After excavating the sunken tire, a jacking system was put together that used sturdy bottle jacks to raise the crane millimeter by millimeter.
The entire crew, which included riggers, site engineers, and local workers, collaborated throughout the day to slowly push the crane out of the soft ground. With several breaks to check for shifting weight and soil compression, it took almost twelve hours.
The Bigger Challenge: Regaining Precision After the Setback
The first challenge was to get the crane back on level ground. The team had to reevaluate the lifting angle, determine whether the rigging was damaged, and confirm the crusher frame's center of gravity after it had been moved. Since even the slightest error in heavy lifting can result in serious mechanical problems during installation, or worse, total equipment failure, everything had to be recalculated.
The entire lift was rescheduled for the next morning. The crew spent the night strengthening the crane's new location with steel plates, RCC pads, and more gravel backfill. Only because the team had taken every precaution following the incident did the lift resume without any problems.
My Suggestion Based on This Experience
In addition to mechanical malfunctions, poor ground preparation, hurried schedules, or miscalculated terrain are frequently the cause of crane failures or stalls. I learned from this experience that ground conditions in Bihar can change suddenly and without warning, even when using dependable equipment and skilled operators.
Here is my practical advice for anyone in charge of industrial lifting in an area like this: never undervalue the significance of soil inspection. Spend more time on ground testing whether you're a contractor, site engineer, or employee of a construction company in Bihar. This is especially important after rains or if you're working in rural or reclaimed areas. Having emergency jacking kits, scrap steel, and local stone on hand will help you save your own equipment in addition to lifting loads.
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