So I set my culvert loader/unloader aside and decided to try out the 6-22998 gantry crane I had bought as NOS. It was quite easy to hook up (just two wires) and when I tried to use it, the mothers would whirr but no movement either for spinning the crane or for the magnet up/down. The magnet itself seems to work although it would barely pick up a culvert.
I thought at first it might be a power thing so I unhooked my other accessories and ran the crane wires directly to the AUX outputs on the power supply with nothing else hooked up. Same thing happened – motors are making a noise like they are turning but nothing moves.
So I researched a bit and it looks like on the older cranes that belts go bad and grease seizes up but is that really the case in a crane this new? I can actually see globs of grease on some of the gears from underneath…don’t know if that’s normal or not. Also I tried (but not with a lot of force) to spin the crane by hand but it wouldn’t budge…not sure if it should be looser than that or not.
So am I overlooking something here? Is this not unheard of in even these newer cranes? Is there something I can do to try and determine if it really is the grease and/or belts before I tear it apart?
Thanks
Michael
