In another first for the lifting and rigging industry in South Africa, Anchor Industries has installed and commissioned a hydraulic, dynamic testing facility with a capacity of 40 tonne. Purchased predominately for the load testing of chain blocks and lever hoists, the configuration and size of the unit with multiple connection points, also allows for load tests on items such as hook blocks and spreader beams.
“According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act all lifting machines in use within South Africa must be load tested every 12 months,” explains Dale Hutcheson, Managing Director, “and SANS500 specifies that this load test must be in a range of 1.25 (minimum) and 1.50 (maximum) times the working load limit of the hoist, in such a way that every part of the hoist is stressed accordingly and every component is subjected to one full cycle of the gears. As the chain block is worked under load the system must be able to release or increase pressure to keep the load within the required range. Previously we’ve used fixed weights to complete these tests as locally manufactured hydraulic systems were not able to maintain the accuracy we required. But these are extremely bulky and cumbersome to use, so we approach an international manufacturer with a design we’d seen in use in Canada. The manufacturer gave us the assurance that they were able to provide what we needed with a fully computer controlled system, designed to our exact requirements.”
“With installation and commissioning completed, we are now able to provide an extremely accurate test in a very short turnaround time which further enhances the testing and inspection services of lifting machines and tackle we already provide customers”, promises Hutcheson.
