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I finally got that old Manitowoc 4100 running after a month on a site in Dallas
The main hoist brake was sticking just enough to trip the overload sensor every single lift. We replaced the sensor, checked the wiring, even swapped the whole control box. Turned out to be a tiny piece of grit stuck in the brake solenoid pilot valve that you couldn't even see. That one speck of dirt cost us about 30 days of downtime. Anyone else ever have a job where the fix was stupid simple but finding it took forever?
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rileyp491mo ago
Man, doesn't that just make you want to scream? It's always the smallest, cheapest part that causes the biggest, most expensive headache. I swear, half the job is just trying to think like the machine and guess where it decided to choke. You start doubting your own checks because the answer can't possibly be that simple. Then you find it and feel like a genius and an idiot at the same time. Those are the jobs that stick with you forever, honestly.
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thomas.parker1mo ago
Exactly, @rileyp49, but sometimes it's the simplest fix.
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the_parker25d ago
You start doubting your own checks because the answer can't possibly be that simple." Man, that hits hard. Read a blog post once from this old-school mechanic. He said the best tool in his box was a notepad. Writes down every single check he did, even the stupid ones. Keeps him from second guessing himself when he's tired.
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